


No Homo, Bro

by kalpa



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Angst, Angst and Humor, Attempt at Humor, Cute, Drama, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Intense, M/M, Modern Era, Roommates, Sad, Slow Burn, Violence, housemate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-04
Updated: 2016-11-14
Packaged: 2018-07-29 06:36:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 46,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7673839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kalpa/pseuds/kalpa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>That in which Gabriel Reyes ends up housemates with Jack Morrison, which entails a lot more than you would expect..<br/>----<br/>Gabriel Reyes, barista and BMX champion, ends up housemates with Jack Morrison, farmer and...super soldier?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introductions

The reasons as to why Gabriel Reyes and Jack Morrison ended up in the same old, small apartment were simple and short, as there shouldn’t be any reasons in the first place. Gabriel Reyes liked to be alone, silence and sleeping in late. Jack Morrison enjoyed the company of others, often times finding any topic to have a conversation over. Music was often a necessity for him, even listening to it in the kitchen as he served breakfast at 6 am sharp every. Goddamn. Day. 

Gabe and Jack were polar opposites, and if they had any say in it, they would never step foot in the same apartment, nonetheless live in the same apartment. Yet a simple Craigslist ad posted by a chirpy woman who enthusiastically explained how she was moving out to live with her girlfriend, who apparently was promoted to manager of a nearby cafe called ‘La Griffe’.

Lena, the girl selling the apartment, mentioned that the cafe was hiring, and Gabe knew his lousy, underpaying job at McDonald’s wasn’t gonna help with rent. Upon inquiring how much the pay was at La Griffe, Reyes realized the pay was significantly better than being a fast food worker. His hourly wage would increase by at least a few dollars, and he made a mental note to apply. Buying an apartment from the girlfriend of the manager would surely give him a few kudos points, so it was worth the shot. 

The apartment wasn’t amazing by any means. It was 300 square feet, and if Gabe had any say he would get the fuck out and live in a nice loft. Yet working at a cafe in Chicago wouldn’t get you a loft, hell it could barely get you this apartment. Hence why Gabe required a housemate which earned a number of grumbles and complaints as he opened his laptop on the old couch he’d somehow shoved up the stairs and into the small living room. 

Craigslist was the best bet, as the few friends Gabe had on Facebook already had a place or didn’t even live nearby. He didn’t feel comfortable with using Craigslist. The number of horror stories coming from that website could give even a grown man goosebumps. However, Gabe needed someone else to help pay rent so he could save up his own money for both moving, and focusing on improving his BMX skills. 

Gabe wasn’t sure who would ask to live with him as any sane person would live somewhere bigger than 300 square feet. There were two bedrooms, both rather small and separated by a tiny bathroom. The only selling point was that they lived rather close to the Navy Pier, so getting an apartment as cheap as they did when they were within walking distance to the pier was rather amazing. But then again, did Gabriel mention how fucking small it was? 

He got a number of calls, yet very few were able to pay for the rent. $1,600 was no small feat, as Gabe would have to pay $800 a month. That meant overtime, and lots of it. The small number of people who could pay for the rent were...odd to say in the least. 

One man who met Gabriel at a local Starbucks spoke in a thick southern accent, cigar hanging out of his mouth. At first, Gabe wondered if he was cosplaying as a cowboy for some convention he had no knowledge of, yet when he asked the man Gabe was given the startling realization that no, he was no cosplaying. 

One woman who Gabe met up with was from Antarctica, which was rather interesting. Yet yet upon meeting her, her sweetness and optimism was giving him cavities. She had such hope for the world, voice sweet and caring and Gabriel rejected her almost immediately. He felt some guilt as she looked sad at the lost apartment, yet he reminded himself he was a  _ grown man, dammit.  _

The last person Gabe met was, you guessed it! Jack Morrison; farmer from some boring place in Indiana with bright blue eyes and a dangerous smile. He was down to earth, genuinely interested in Gabe whenever he spoke and seemed like a good guy. If there was someone else who Gabe could accept into his humble abode, other than a fucking cowboy and walking sugar, he would. Yet it seemed as though Jack Morrison was the only candidate, and with a long sigh, Gabriel Reyes accepted him into his home.

* * *

 

There weren’t a lot of rules for the apartment, yet the few that were in place were important and crucial for this agreement to work. Most of them had been submitted by Reyes, and one or two had been suggested by Jack, which wasn’t surprising. 

First things first, if you wake Gabe up 7:30 you’d die. 

Secondly, if you use up all the hot water in the shower, you die. 

Third, if you play loud music, you....die. 

Fourth, if you eat any of Gabe’s food, you buy it back along with another one. 

Fifth, if you bring back anyone from the bar, don’t fuck on the couch, near the couch or anywhere in the apartment besides your room. If you fail to comply, you die. 

Sixth, don’t lie. If you lie, you die. 

Upon seeing the list, Jack looked up at Gabe from under his brows, a small grin forming at the corner of his mouth. The list was rather amusing with all the threats of homicide, yet he wouldn’t put it past Reyes. The man was damn terrifying with his stern look and tough demeanor, yet Jack was sure he had a good heart. It would just take time to prove his theory. 

“May I make a suggestion?” he asked, and his response was the arch of a brow from his housemate. Jack cleared his throat, trying to bite back his smile as he looked down at the paper in his hands. “No red meat around me please,” Jack requested, and he couldn’t help his smile at Reyes expression. 

“You’re a farmer,” Gabriel said, and Jack rolled his eyes, taking a pen from the coffee table and writing his own rule. 

“Yes, and killing the animals for meat wasn’t too pleasant,” Jack chimed in, and he chuckled at the grumble from Gabe as he handed the list back. “You may not agree, but if you don’t listen  _ you’ll die _ ,” Jack mumbled, voice gruff as he impersonated Gabe. His housemate shot him a dirty look over his shoulder as he hung the list up on the fridge. 

“Fuck you I’ll eat as much steak as I want,” Gabriel hissed, and Jack shook his head, opening his mouth to retort before being interrupted by ringing from a phone. It wasn’t Morrison’s, and so Reyes pulled his phone from his pocket to answer the call. 

“Yes, this is Gabriel. An interview? Right now? Yeah…” Gabe checked the watch on his hand before rolling his eyes, holding the phone between his shoulder and head as he pulled on his jacket. “I’ll be there in ten minutes, yes, goodbye.” With a quiet curse, Gabe tucked his phone in his jacket pocket and pulled on his shoes, quickly looking in the reflection of the fridge and messing with his hair. 

“You look fine,” Jack assured him, and he earned a swift glare. 

“You eat my yogurt you-”

Jack raised his hands in a surrender position with a cheeky grin, finishing Gabe’s sentence for him. “I’ll die, I get it. I won’t eat it,” he said, and Gabe nodded before running out the door, only to tumble back in and grab his bike from the closet. “Don’t get hit by a car!” Jack called as Reyes tumbled down the stairs to the sidewalk, door slamming shut. 

Silence overcame the room as Jack was left to himself, the TV only providing a soft hum in the background as the news played. With a sigh, he got to his feet and grabbed an apple from the fridge, re-reading the list in thought. He laughed softly as he grabbed the pen, adding on one more addition before retreating to his room. 

_ No killing. _

* * *

 

By the time Gabriel stepped foot back in his obnoxiously small apartment, the sun was setting over the horizon of buildings and traffic. He would stop at a coffee shop and just sit and watch, yet exhaustion was weaving itself into the fabric of his shoes with each step he took. La Griffe had hired him thankfully, yet the bitch of a manager put him through some quick, short training without any heads up. 

He resumed training the next day, and every day after that. The weekend was the only time off he received, yet Gabe knew better than to think that as set in stone. He needed to pick up extra shifts as soon as he started, and had to put in for as much overtime as he could. The only knowledge Gabe had of Jack’s income was that it was hefty, and Morrison promised he would always be on time when it came to rent. Yet trust wasn’t familiar to Reyes, so he knew better than to assume. 

Jack’s ‘job’ seemed sketchy, in the least. He didn’t think the kid was some drug lord who dealt cocaine and shit, but it definitely didn’t seem... legit. There was no uniform, no name tag, nothing. When Gabe had asked a nervous smile had come onto the kid’s face with a dismissive wave, and that had put enough suspicion in his chest to last for as long as their deal did. 

But he supposed once their rent was due for the first time he would get an idea of how their living arrangement functioned, and he could work as much as he could or take more time off to practice BMX. 

With a long sigh, Gabe shoved open the door to the apartment, kicking his shoes off into the wall. He didn’t care about the skid marks as he threw off his coat on the coffee table and crashed onto the couch. The couch felt heavenly on his back as he sank into the springs and cushions, emitting a low groan of relief as he closed his eyes. 

He had no idea where Morrison was but at the moment he didn’t care. The long day finally caught up with him as he began to doze off, the soft hum of the TV lulling him to into the familiar grasp of sleep. However, a sharp voice through the thin walls stirred Gabe from his nap, slowly blinking himself awake. 

With a quick look around, Jack wasn’t anywhere in sight, so he must’ve been in his room, which was just behind the wall where the TV was drilled into. Gabe yawned as he sat up, still tempted to go back to sleep yet deciding his bed was more comfortable than the old couch. As he slowly walking to his room, Morrison’s voice rose behind the walls in obvious anger 

Gabe stopped, frowning as he stared at his housemate’s room. He didn’t take Jack as the angry type, yet maybe he got in a fight with his girlfriend or boyfriend or...whatever. He didn’t know what kind of person Morrison was into, and really didn’t care. What he did care about, however, was getting some sleep before the start of his shift at 8 in the morning. 

Reyes raised his hand to knock and threaten homicide if Jack didn’t shut up yet hushed words stopped him. Narrowing his eyes, Gabe pressed his ear against the wall in an attempt to hear better. 

“I told you… I’m not interested-” Jack was cut off by whoever was calling him, and there was a defeated, agitated sigh. “I do need the money but-...” Another interruption and he could practically feel Jack’s anger through the wall that separated them. “Fine...I’ll be there at 9 tomorrow...Yes, sharp.”

His voice was resigned as the call ended, and the squeak of his bed signalled movement. Afraid he’d be caught snooping, Gabe quickly walked into his room, shutting the door just as Jack’s opened. Confusion was hot and tight in his chest as he sat on his bed, grogginess completely overridden by intrigue. 

Clearly, he caught Jack speaking of his secretive job, which his housemate did not seem very fond of. It sounded as though whatever agreement there had been was falling apart, yet Jack needed the money. His boss or whatever was taking advantage of that, and his theory of illegal work became strengthened. 

He still couldn’t imagine farmer, vegetarian Jack as a drug dealer, but hey, what did Reyes know? He’d met a fucking cowboy in his quest of a housemate, so clearly Chicago offered plenty of surprises. 

Yet as Gabe fell asleep, he couldn’t help but shake off the feeling that something more was going on with Jack. Something secretive, something deadly. 

Something dangerous, and Gabe didn’t like it. 

Not one bit. 


	2. And The Plot Thickens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabe trains for his new job, and learns more of Jack's secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holy??? shit??? 70+ kudos in less than one day ??? holy shit ? ?  
> no joke i woke up and checked this fic and expected it to be at like....idk 20 kudos? maybe a bit more?  
> NOT 70?!  
> im sure as hell not complaining, in fact im so so so thankful for all of these kudos. it means so much to me that you guys are supporting this fic and i!!!  
> i hope u enjoy ! :)

In between working 12 hour shifts of training to become a barista at La Griffe and practicing BMXing, Gabe didn’t have much time to think over the conversation he’d heard. He briefly wondered if he was purposefully making sure there was no time to wonder what Jack was doing to earn rent money, and shrugged it off. There were more important things to focus on, like his job, his BMXing and getting enough sleep.

Due to his schedule, Gabe didn’t seek Jack very often. The only times they crossed paths was in the morning when Gabe would wake up to Morrison in the shower. In a limbo between sleep and consciousness, he often slumped down on the wall outside the bathroom and drifted off until Jack would finally step out.

Sometimes Gabe would completely fall asleep while waiting for his shower, and would wake up to Jack poking his nose with a cheeky grin on his face. Reyes would wake up to bright blue eyes alight with mischief, and he often grumbled and slapped Jack’s hand away with a swift, “Dude stop that’s gay.”

When Gabe finally managed to step into the bathroom for his shower, Jack’s laughter would be loud as it echoed throughout the apartment. It was infectious, as far as Gabe was concerned. That dumb laugh would bring a small smile to his face as he hopped into the shower, only for all grogginess to be shocked away by a blast of cold water against his skin.

“Morrison!” he screamed, and that laughter grew even louder.

But he couldn’t bring himself to kill him, even if every morning shower was bathed in cold water and loud music from the kitchen.

* * *

 

La Griffe was as pretentious as it sounded. If someone ever named a cafe in French then it was as arrogant and snobby as how French it was. But Gabe kept those thoughts to himself as he was trained by a cold woman with high expectations and even higher standards.

She taught him to serve everything on the menu in just one day, and expected all menu items to be perfected by the end of the next. That meant staying after hours to learn how to make a foam leaf or heart, which was as hard as it sounded, if not more. Gabe grew a new hatred for foam, which was something he’d never expected would earn his dislike, but hey, the world was surprising.

It was even more surprising when he would slump his way into the apartment at midnight, shoes lazily pulled off by the other foot and apron thrown over a chair. Every night he would collapse on the old shitty couch, falling asleep quicker than he could get to the tenth sheep. There would be no undressing into his pajamas, no reaching for a blanket to keep him warm, nothing other than just sleeping right then and there.

However, when he found himself awake at whatever ungodly hour he would be covered in a warm blanket and a pillow under his head for support and comfort. There would be eggs sitting on the coffee table, along with coffee as dark as it could be. Jack would cook Gabe everything he loved in the morning before hopping in the shower to use all the warm water, and at first he suspected it was to prevent future homicide. Yet once Gabe began to shower with warm water and with a quiet kitchen, he knew it was for more than that.

But there was no time to mull over Jack kind actions as work began at 8 and went until 11 at night. Instead he would quickly thank the farmer as he quickly pulled on his shoes and tied his apron over his uniform. Jack would always raise his own mug of coffee up as he peaked over the newspaper in his hands, eyes crinkling in the corner with a hidden but genuine smile.

They developed a ritual over the first week of their agreement of living together. Gabe would pass out on the couch at 11:30, when he finally returned home, and would wake up at 7:30 to breakfast on the coffee table and Jack in the shower. Once Gabe was done eating, Jack would walk out of the shower and wave to his housemate to inform him the bathroom was clear. With a swift shower and soft music from the kitchen, Gabe would get in his uniform and leave at promptly 7:45.

Yet it only really dawned on Gabe that he knew nothing of Jack’s ritual, only his own. He had no idea what time he got home, why he woke up so early when his shift started at 9, and so on. In all honesty, it bothered Gabe like an itch you couldn’t scratch. Training as a barista was busy enough, but while he was practicing making fucking shapes out of foam his thoughts often wandered.

He wondered what Jack’s mysterious job was, why he was always so happy, why his eyes were so goddam bright and-

“Gabe!” his manager hissed, and said man looked down to see his foam leaf completely fucked up. It looked like a deformed penis. With a soft groan he turned to apologize, yet Amelie raised her hand with a side eye that could kill. Gabe clamped his mouth shut as she took the coffee from his hands, drinking it. With a soft hum, she set it back down with pleased eyes, and Gabe could practically fall to his knees and praise God for finally succeeding at a menu item. “Tastes like shit, redo it,” she told him, and Gabe’s hand itched. He could practically commit homicide right then and there, yet he forced a smile to his face as he turned to make the dish yet again.

Amelie walked away to go do whatever Satan did at noon, and he quickly turned around and gave her the bird. There were soft chuckles to his side, and he looked over to see a woman hiding her smile behind her hand. She was beautiful, and Gabe would usually flirt with her if he wasn’t prepared to commit mass murder. This job was more important than banging a pretty girl, he told himself, yet the tightness in his chest told him there was more to it than that.

“She’s really hard on newbies, but after a few months things get easier,” the girl comforted him as she finished making some fancy cake slice. The name tag on her apron revealed her name to be…

“Mercy? What kind of name is that?” Gabe blurted as he frowned, returning to his work. There was a soft giggle from Mercy, and a quick glance revealed a fond expression on her face. Weird…

“A nickname,” she informed him, and Gabe hummed in acknowledgement. Last time he checked, nicknames were more like “Fucktrumpet” and “Prick Dick”, not “Mercy”.

“What’s your real name then?” Gabe asked.

“Angela,” she told him, and a hand was abruptly thrust towards him. With an arched eyebrow, he looked from her hand to her expectant face and swiftly shook her hand.

“Gabe,” he replied. A happy smile brightened her face, and Gabe quickly turned to resume his coffee.

What was it with these blondes and their smiles?

Angela made idle chit chat with him as he perfected his dumb foam leaf and she continued to make cakes and whatever the French made. Croissants, probably. She was bearable to speak with despite her optimism and so on. She often spoke of how she wants to help make the world a ‘better place’, mentioning she was studying at a nearby college to become a doctor. He could definitely see her treating patients, what with her reassuring smile and calming voice.

However, their conversation was quickly interrupted by a woman named Satya peaking into the kitchen. “Hello, I have a man named Jack here to see Gabe,” she told them, and Mercy looked over at him with wide eyes and a mischievous smile on her lips.

Confused and with a frown, Gabe left his perfect coffee behind to go to the front register. Farmer boy was sitting at the register, dressed in a long jacket and scarf wrapped around his neck. A soft smile was on his lips as he saw Gabe, and the man walked forward to greet him.

“Jack, what are you doing here?” Gabe asked, ignoring Satya, Angela and a number of other employees ‘subtly’ watching from afar. He knew he was gonna deal with gossip later, even if there was nothing to gossip over.

Morrison shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets as he obviously tried to warm himself up. “Just wanted to visit. Heard this cafe was pretty-”

“Pretentious? Arrogant?” Gabe interrupted, and Jack chuckled under his breath, a noise that made the hairs on the back of Gabe’s neck stand straight up.

“I was gonna say elite, but sure we can go with that,” Jack joked and Gabe smirked, both men looking at each other in an awkward silence before Jack cleared his throat, looking back up to the menu behind Gabe.

“I hope you know I’m not an official employee so I can’t really make-”

The air turned cold as someone walked up to Gabe’s side, and his stomach dropped. He could get to his knees and pray to God for forgiveness for whatever sin he committed to earn this as he turned to see Amelie with a tight smile on her face. “Actually ,Gabe, you can handle this. Consider this...your test,” she suggested and Gabe nodded, body going stiff as he looked to Jack who seemed perfectly aware of how tense Gabe was.

A small smirk came to Morrison’s face and Gabe shot him a subtle, dangerous look as he stopped to look at one drink in particular. Gabe prayed that it didn’t involve goddamn foam, but of course Jack would torture him. Underneath scrambled eggs and a warm blanket, Jack was a mischievous asshole, which was surprising as Gabe took him as an oblivious farmer’s boy.

“I’ll get a cinnamon vanilla espresso topped with a foam leaf,” Jack said, and Gabes jaw tightened. There were snickers behind him at the sound of Jack’s order, and Gabe forced a smile to his face.

“That’ll be eleven fifty,” Gabe told Jack, who pulled out a ten, two ones and four pennies. A flicker of mischief was in his damn blue eyes, and Gabe briefly asked God what he did to earn this, yet silence was his answer. He hadn’t killed anyone so he considered this a test of his anger management skills and preventing his homicidal intentions.

After a moment of fumbling for change, as math was never Gabe’s strength, Reyes dropped the change in his housemate’s hand. “Go to the end of the table, and your drink will be ready shortly,” Gabe bit out.

Jack turned to follow his instructions before turning back on his heel, a considerate look on his face. For a moment, Gabe wondered if he was going to apologize, but instead Jack said, “Strange request, but can you make it in front of me, please? I like to see what I will be putting in my body.”

 _How about a knife? Or maybe a bullet? Or maybe a knife AND a bullet!?_ Gabe thought as he nodded, the snickers behind him growing louder at Jack’s request.

Gabe’s heart was pounding in his chest as blood thundered in his ears, pressure weighing him down as he went to complete Jack’s, or asshole’s, order. He was quickly swept up in the art of making his espresso, getting lost in grinding the coffee beans and ingredients. It was evident he was passing this test was flying colors until it was time for the foam.

Gabriel had never once thought in his life that foam would be his biggest enemy, but life was a jackass. Just like Jack, who was watching with smug eyes and crossed arms.

Fuck Jack. Seriously... _fuck Jack._

With a deep breath, he began to make the leaf with shaky hands, focusing harder than he ever did on a dumb standardized test. The leaf began to make form, and he could feel Amelie watching over his shoulder. He bit his lip as he finished the leaf, a beautiful foam drawing presented as he gave the drink to Jack, who looking impressed.

“Suck it,” Gabe hissed as Jack took the drink, and Morrison winked as he turned to leave.

“Anytime,” he replied, and so Gabe was left there with the second surprise of the day. Had Jack just said he would like to give Gabe a-

“Reyes, you start tomorrow. 8 am sharp,” Amelie interrupted and Gabe could practically cry in relief. He went to thank Satan but she raised a hand. “Don’t think I like you, cuz I don’t,” she sighed as she turned to go where Satan went at noon.

Gabe turned to face Angela, who clapped happily, and Satya, who gave a thumbs up before returning to her position at the register. A man clapped Gabe on the back, and with a quick glance to his name tag he saw that it was a boy named...Genji? Gabe held back his comments as Genji said, “Welcome to La Griffe.”

Gabe had never thought he’d be happy to work at a pretentious French place, but hey, money was money. And if Jack would be visiting…

Reyes shook his head as he turned to leave, grabbing his bike to go and practice BMXing, But as he got onto the sidewalk to go and ride to a skate park, he noticed Jack who had his back to him. Two larger men in black suits were in front of him, and based on Jack’s body language the conversation they were having wasn’t too friendly.

Gabe frowned, debating interrupting before one of the suited men reached into his coat, a gun evident in his hand. Jack shook his head, looking defeated as the men turned to walk away. Jack took one last drink of his espresso before tossing it into the trash, rubbing at his face before following the men.

Reyes would have followed if it wasn’t for the fact that he could be shot and killed, and watched them get inside a black car with tinted windows. Strange…

With a quick photo with his phone, Gabe captured the license plate number and made a mental note to run it through whatever website he could later. He sighed before getting onto his bike, speeding off to work off his nerves at the skate park, but no matter how fast he went, Jack wouldn’t leave his mind.

* * *

 

Gabe got home around 10, which was rather early for him. He planned to take a nice, hot shower and then watch some Seinfeld or Friends, however once he stepped into the house he was greeted by Jack on the couch, asleep. At least he knew when Jack got home, or roughly when.

There was nothing strange with Jack sleeping on the couch, and Gabe at first just walked right by to go into the bathroom and get clean after his long day of BMXing. However, he noticed with a spare glance to Jack there was a deep gash on his forehead, and a black eye. His stomach dropped in his chest as he noticed his wounds, and he quickly reached into the freezer for some ice, dropping it into a ziploc bag. “Holy shit,” he hissed as he plopped down next to Jack, who was stirred by the movement.

His housemate slowly came to, clearly not alarmed by Gabe’s presence. He must’ve not realized that Gabe had noticed his wounds until he saw the DIY ice pack. His eyes widened and he got to his feet, startling Gabe immensely.

“Jack, what the hell happened?” Gabe quickly asked before Jack could rush back into his room to hide. Clearly what happened to Jack was meant to be a secret, something no one else should notice. Morrison had been anticipating Gabe returning in another hour or so, ignorant of his break.

“Nothing,” Jack quickly hissed, putting as much distance between him and Gabe in their small ass apartment. Gabe didn’t understand why Jack was acting like he’d just walked in on him fucking his mom or something, but upon remembering the earlier sighting of Jack with the Men In Black or some shit, he realized it was related to his job. “Just...just leave me alone, okay? It’s nothing, I promise,” Jack bit out before Gabe could ask if something had happened at his job.

Morrison was in his room faster than Gabe could even get to his feet, even more confused and worried than before. Was he living with a fucking drug dealer, or was their something more sinister going on here? Maybe he was apart of the mafia, which was suggested by the nicely clothed men pressuring Jack to do what they said.

Whatever it was, it wasn’t good. Could Gabe get involved?

With a deep sigh, he sank back into the couch, digging the palms of his hands into his eyes as he simply sat there and thought. Farmer boy gone wild? Definitely seemed like it.

There was a ring from his phone and he fished it out of his back pocket, seeing a text from an unknown number. He frowned, unlocking his phone to read it.

 _Stay out of this, or Jack will no longer be Jack,_ the text read, and Gabe’s frown deepened. A threat? Oh hell no. Gabriel Reyes did not take threats.

 **_Leave Jack and I alone, or else I will get the authorities involved,_ ** Gabe texted back, and he watched the person texting him type for a few moments before Gabe went still, stopping every movement as his breath caught in his throat.

 _Silly boy...we_ **are** _the authorities._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank u so much for reading ! im off to a job interview now so wish me luck !!!  
> i will update the story at 150 kudos!  
> please leave kudos and a comment !  
> have a great day and night everyone !  
> <3


	3. Cause and Effect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabe deals with a threat from both the authorities...and himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holy shit...160+ kudos in just a day and a half?! you guys are AMAZING!!! oh my goodness!!!  
> i love you all so so so much thank u ahhhhh <3 <3 <3  
> i hope you guys enjoy this chapter! it's not full of action as i wanted to focus on the effects of the intense cliffhanger from last chapter, but next chapter is when i plan to make it more intense and action packed.  
> i also got a comment about fanart last chapter ? if you guys want to draw fanart i will literally shit myself. like i wiill need diapers lmfaoo... if you do draw fanart, comment the link and ill go to it !!! i love you all so much you guys are amazing!!!

Gabe didn’t get much sleep that night, as he was rather fearful of being sniped by some elite military soldier. He’d never really quarreled with the government, as it usually did not end well with those who did. There was so minor resentment he felt for it however, as reports of police brutality and corruption rose. He’d never been one for rules, and he openly admitted that. There’d been plenty of times in which he’d broken the law, yet he’d never been caught, hence why there’d never been a direct conflict between Gabe and the government/authorities. 

But leave it to golden boy Jack Morrison to get him involved with the authorities. There was clearly more to him than just being an aggravating, but kind farmer, yet he wouldn’t admit to it. First the phone call, then the sighting of Jack being escorted by some Men In Black kind of guys, and it was all topped off with a cherry of a direct threat from the Men In Black. 

The few hours he’d drifted off for were riddled with nightmares of being shot at, and seeing Jack die in front of his eyes. He’d often woken up with goosebumps on his skin, tangled in his blankets and sheets as sweat dripped down his skin. Seeing those blue eyes go from bright to nothing at all haunted him when he closed his eyes, and soon he resorted to opening his laptop for something to do.

Yet despite all his concentration on Tumblr and Reddit couldn’t distract him from the nagging voice in the back of his head, whispering threats and revealing his fears. Even the music he pumped into his ears couldn’t silence his conscience, and soon he was pulling up a website in which he could run license plates through. He wasn’t sure if running the authorities’ license plates was a good idea, and if it would alert them, but with some deep breaths he reminded himself he was fucking Gabriel Reyes, not some little boy afraid of possibly breaking the law. He’d spray painted walls, stolen things from the store, and so on. There was no reason as to why he should be frightened.  

_ Because of Jack _ , that nagging voice reminded him, and Gabe sighed, hitting enter and watching the search filter and buffer. The moments in which Gabe waited to see if it would work were agonizing as red, hot anxiety rushed through his veins, heart thundering in his ears.  _ You could get him killed for this,  _ **YOU** _ could be killed for this,  _ his thoughts hissed. 

With another deep breath to try and steady himself, Gabe ran his hands through his hair and pulled, trying to focus on the stinging instead of the voice. He was already anxious enough not heading the text message’s threat. His own head didn’t need to be more of a dick to him. 

There was a small ding from his laptop, and Gabe eagerly focused back on the task at hand, narrowing his eyes as he read over the results. It was definitely military, yet he couldn’t find out where it belonged to. There was no information provided as to where it frequently visited, or what toll booths it passed through. 

Gabe groaned loudly, dropping his head into his hands in defeat. There was the ring of his phone receiving a text before he could start cursing under his breath, and the anxiety returned, making the hairs on his neck stand up straight. This was it. This was when Gabe received a text counting down the seconds he had before a bullet was put square in his head. He slowly reached for it, memories of his life flashing before his eyes as he read over the number, one he didn’t recognize. 

With a swift swipe of his finger, the text revealed itself on his screen, and Gabe began to pray in rapid Spanish. Yet, there was no countdown, and Gabe frowned, his prayer trailing off into surprised silence. 

_ If you’re gonna masturbate can you please quiet down? I don’t need more nightmares :P  _

Gabe ignored the heat in his cheeks as he typed a quick,  **_Who is this?_ **

_ Who do you think ?  _

There were a few emojis that consisted of a cow, coffee and...an eggplant? 

_ Dios Bueno,   _ Gabe thought, squeezing his eyes shut as he rubbed at his temples. He contemplated sending a text back to Jack “Troll” Morrison but settled on confronting the man in person. Gabe was like that, after all. 

He got to his feet and shuffled out of his room, turning on the hallway light as he grumbled and knocked on Jack’s door just once before opening it. Jack sat propped up against the wall, smirking at his phone before looking up at him with mischievous eyes. Gabe opened his mouth to make a snarky comment but found no words when he realized his housemate was shirtless, revealing a rather attractive body and...scars and bruises? The attraction Gabe felt faltered at the sight of the bruises, and if Jack noticed he didn’t show it. 

There was a ring from his phone and he looked down at it in his hand, seeing another text from his shitstorm of a housemate.  _ Didn’t take you as the gay type, Reyes,  _ the text read, quickly followed by another text of eggplants and water droplets. 

Reyes glared at him before slamming his door shut with a loud groan. Loud laughter echoed in the room he’d just exited, and Gabe ignored the way his heart fluttered with the butterflies in his stomach. Despite the humor of the situation, he couldn’t smile or join the laughter Jack emitted. 

Even the cold water that pelted his body and skin couldn’t distract him from the situation, which was far from funny. What the hell was with all those bruises? Was it normal to get so many scars from being a fucking farmer? Last time he checked, getting scars from harvesting  _ corn  _ wasn’t that dangerous. But then again, Gabe was just an urban troublemaker, glued to his bike and desperately trying to make money. He was used to spray paint stains and drug wars, not waking up at 6 every morning to feed the chickens and milk the cows. 

What could the authorities want with Jack? His eyes were too bright to be darkened by a gun being pointed at his head with each passing day, making the man do their bidding. Was the government conducting some form of tests on Jack, or something more dangerous, something so evil that it had to be hidden from the public? It bothered Gabe more than it bothered Jack, clearly, and he wondered if it was because he lived with Jack and would be in danger if Jack went AWOL, making Gabe the last person who saw him.

But even if he didn’t admit it, Gabe cared about the bruises and scars on Jack’s body not because of his own health and safety, but because of his housemate’s. 

There was a soft knock on the bathroom door before it opened, jarring Reyes from his thoughts. “What the fuck, Morrison? I’m kind of naked here!” he hissed, wrapping the shower+ curtain around his frame as he peered out at his housemate. Jack clearly didn’t care as he looked over at the angry, naked man. 

“What? I have to brush my teeth! Busy day today,” he told Gabe, feigning innocence that only blonde boys with bright blue eyes could get away with. Reyes narrowed his eyes, ignoring the way the smirk on Jack’s face made him feel. 

“Couldn’t you...oh, I don’t know, wait five fucking minutes?”

Jack continued to brush his teeth, looking up in thought before making eye contact with Reyes through the mirror. He spit out his toothpaste, an act that should’ve been repulsive but oddly wasn’t, and simply said, “Nope! Now hurry out of the shower before it’s cold or else I’ll  **_kill you!_ ** ” Gabe rolled his eyes at the horrible impersonation of himself, sighing as he turned off the water, reaching for the towel on the nearby hanger. “Mmm, thanks!” Jack said as he snatched it from his hands, rubbing the excess of toothpaste of his face as he exited the room. 

With a low growl, Gabe pulled on his boxers and opened the door, yelling a swift, “Fuck you Jack! I’m gonna-”

“Commit homicide? Commit a mass murder? Hmm, in what? Plaid boxers?” Jack said, looking over his shoulder with that cocky grin of his before entering his own room. 

Reyes sighed loudly, rubbing at his eyes in exasperation. 

What did he do to deserve this? 

* * *

 

Gabriel Reyes was not a chit chatty person. In fact, he favored avoiding all human contact, but for some reason, God hated him, and that resulted in him ending up working at the front desk from 8 until 12:30, which was his break. After that, he did inventory and helped Angela make cakes and whatever else dumb coffee shops sold to try and convince their customers they were fancy. Which meant that their hipster customers would watch him make their drinks during  _ rush hour _ . 

Either God hated him, or he was correct in his theories that Amelie was the spawn of satan herself. He was leaning towards the latter, but the former was rather convincing as well considering his morning with Jack. 

By the time his break was nearing, Gabe was falling asleep on the glass display of all their fancy, overpriced shit. His feet begged for relief, but if Amelie caught him slacking off she would surely do some satantic ritual to punish him. And it didn’t take a genius to figure that a satantic ritual usually ended poorly. Which meant that he had to be sneaky and precise as to when to doze off. Satya was a dear as she usually stepped on his ankle to jar him awake, making it look like he’d just been hurt instead of waking up. 

Just as he began to take off his apron so he could run over to Subway to get a nice sandwich, the door opened and the annoying bell began to ring. He groaned silently, rubbing at his temples to relieve the anger and headache he began to experience. There was a snicker from Satya, which he presumed was due to his expression until he saw who was ordering. 

Jack “Satan’s-right-hand-man” Morrison was looking at him with wide, expectant eyes, lips twisted into that goddamn irritating cocky smile. Gabe’s stomach churned on the sight, and he was tempted to bend over and puke so he could be dismissed, which wouldn’t be too hard to do as he noticed the Men in Black outside the shop. His heart stuttered, eyes widening noticeably when he noticed their presence.

One man was pressing his finger to his ear, mouth moving as he looked over his shoulder, making eye contact with Gabe through his sunglasses. In fact, a little bit of vomit did rise in his throat at the sight, and Satya looked at him with a worried expression, placing a hand on his shoulder with a soft, “Gabe? You look rather-”

Said man grabbed the trashcan on both ends and emptied the pathetic contents of his stomach into the trash, eliciting a soft “ewww” from behind him and a loud laughter of “Dude! Somebody’s got a crush on Morrison~!” 

_ If only they knew _ , he told himself as he continued retching. A hand returned to his shoulder, and Gabe weakly looked over, expecting Angela but instead finding Jack, concern painted openly on his face. He opened his mouth to make a witty remark about how Jack must be disappointed this was how he first had Gabe bent over for him, but he continued to puke. 

There was a sound of French-infused disgust to his side and he knew he’d been busted by Satan herself. Jack’s hand disappeared and Gabe was pulled to his feet by the scrawny witch who looked at him with unconcerned eyes. “Go to the backroom,  _ now _ ,” she hissed, and Angela and Satya hooked their arms underneath him, dragging him away from the front desk. 

“Who knew Satan would be French,” he groaned as he finally sat down, stomach still turning viciously. A bucket was thrust into his hands and he began to dry heave, wondering what a pathetic sight he must be to Jack, who was standing a few feet in front him, arms crossed. 

Angela rolled her eyes at the comment before tucking some of his loose hair behind his ear affectionately, and he looked up at her with questioning eyes. “You’re not my mom,” he groaned, and she looked over at Jack who stepped forward. 

“Go help Amelie,” Jack sighed, taking Angela’s place as she rose to do what Morrison said. Satya looked between the two of them, noticing Angela’s pointed looks and her clearing her throat very audibly. Satya picked up on the hint, getting to her feet while explaining she’d get him a glass of water to help ease his stomach. 

And so that left Gabe alone with Jack, who had his hand awkwardly on his shoulder, clearly trying to show his support. “Ya know, if I made you this nervous you could have just told me,” Jack offered to break the silence, and Gabe gave him a nice side eye. Morrison chuckled under his breath, a sound that made Gabe start dry heaving from how nervous and anxious he was. “But seriously, are you okay, Reyes?” 

_ No, _ Gabe thought, but he knew he couldn’t openly admit that. That would be destroying his tough guy persona, which he’d taken plenty of pride in. So he went for the obvious excuse, “Yeah, I just didn’t get a lot of sleep last night. Ya know, new job and all,” he lamely excused, and based on Jack’s expression he clearly didn’t buy it. But oh well, Morrison didn’t need to buy it, he just needed to hop off and let Gabe try to figure this out. 

“Are you sure? You don’t see like yourself,” Jack pushed, and Gabe resisted the urge to dry heave again, instead swallowing roughly and closing his eyes. His heart was beating hard and irregularly in his throat, and there was a sudden surge of anger, of worry, of fear and-

“What? In the three days we’ve known each other you suddenly know me,” Gabe spat, moving his shoulder to remove Jack’s hand, which hung limply at his side now. The air turned bitter and tense as Gabe frowned down at the trash can, guilt and regret churning his stomach even more. 

“Fine, be an asshole. Why the hell did I even think this could work,” Jack hissed, getting to his feet and adjusting his coat. He stormed out of the room, stopping in the doorway to cast one more look over his shoulder Gabe, who pathetically removed his eyes from Jack’s back to focus on the trash. “Hold it in, because it will come back out,” Jack spat before swiftly leaving the store. 

Gabe saw Angela look over at him with wide eyes, worry evident on her face as he slowly got his feet, dragging the trash can with him. His hands gripped the doorway to keep him from collapsing and spilling his guts out on the floor...again, but his grip did nothing when he saw Jack get in a car with the same license plate and same men closing the doors. One man touched his ear, saying words he couldn’t hear or make out before looking at Gabe. 

Said man dropped to his knees, spilling his stomach out again, eliciting more angry French and more of Angela’s worry. 

* * *

 

Angela drove Gabe home around 10:30 after he somehow pushed himself through the rest of his shift, only puking a few more times before become somewhat stable. She insisted on bringing him to a doctor but he refused, eventually snapping at her. He’d expected her to shut up and leave it like Jack did, but instead she bit back, telling him to stop being an asshole and let her help. 

That resulted in him slamming the door outside of the apartment, pressing a nice set of two middle fingers against the window before wrapping his jacket around him tightly to suppress the cold wind. She honked at him, but he didn’t turn, instead entering the apartment and slamming the door shut in obvious anger. 

However, once he entered the apartment, he noticed none of the lights on, yet there was flashing from the living room. Gabriel kicked off his shoes, leaving his coat in its usual spot as he slowly walked into the living room. To his surprise, Jack had fallen asleep in Gabe’s usual spot, remote in hand while he snored loudly. 

“Asshole,” Gabe snorted light-heartedly, turning to rummage the fridge for more of his yogurt. Yet to his surprise and anger, the last yogurt he’d been saving for tonight was missing and he narrowed his eyes, looking back to Jack. His homicidal intentions returned when he noticed the empty carton knocked over on the table. “Oh, you…” He trailed off, throwing his hands up in the air as he stalked over towards farmer boy. 

He flicked on the light, prepared to chew the  _ fuck  _ out of his housemate when he stopped, noticing something...red and long on his face. Gabe slowly approached him, turning his head to get a better look at his left cheekbone. A long, bloody gash was disrupting his otherwise perfect skin, and bruises surrounded it. “What...the fuck?” he whispered to himself, prepared to wake up Jack and demand to know what happened when there was a ring from his housemate’s phone. 

Now, Gabe wasn’t the snoopy type. In fact, he liked to mind his own damn business and just focus on himself. But after the past few days filled with anxiety and threats from fucking Barack Obama’s squad, he’d lost all respect for his morals and grabbed Jack’s phone. He swiped left, encountered with a lock code. With a quick glance to Jack, he typed in 0000, and gained access. 

“Dude, you are so living up to the blonde stereotype right now,” he said as he pulled up messages, opening the text from the unknown number. There were a series of messages exchanged between Mr Hick and the Men in Black, but the most recent one caught his attention. 

_ Remember your mission. Any inconvenience will be removed. Anything, or  _ **_anyone._ **

Gabe’s stomach churned again as he looked from the phone to Jack, and he was surprised to see yet another text pop up from the unknown number. 

_ Including you, Mr Reyes.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you enjoyed this chapter ~~! sorry if it was boring aha...  
> if you enjoyed this, PLEASE LEAVE KUDOS!  
> if you REALLY enjoyed this, leave a comment ! comments make me so happy ! <3  
> i will post the next update at 200 kudos, or somewhere roughly around there.  
> have a great night or day !!! i love you all so much <3


	4. Oh Shit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabe deals with his worsening anxiety, and his feelings for Jack grow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my god i am so tired  
> on the google doc this thing was 12 pages long. i am exhausted. so if there's any spelling or grammar errors, i'm sorry. this is very raw and i am very tired.  
> the feedback for this has been crazy! and i hope this fic is still as promising as it was at chapter one. that's one of my biggest fears; disappointing you guys, the readers!  
> so stay tune and lets find out what the fuck is going on with JACK?!  
> have fun reading !

To say Gabe was a fucking wreck would be an understatement. Gabe was beyond being a wreck; he was the fucking Titanic; split in half and lost to the depths of the ocean forever. Although he wasn’t that poetic, so he blamed that thought on sleep deprivation.

The reasons as to why he was so fucked just began to stack up with each day and with every hour. First, he wound up with golden boy farmer as his housemate, who insisted on using all the warm water and playing loud music. And then he’d found out that he was being tangled in some top-secret Men in Black shit, tied together with earpieces, untraceable license plates and threatening text messages. And to top it all off; Jack Morrison ate his fucking last Yogurt.

What an asshole.

There was no hope for sleep after receiving his second threat from the government, and when he heard Jack finally wake up and grumble as he entered the bathroom to take a leak he didn’t even chew him out for eating his yogurt. And Gabriel Reyes liked his fucking yogurt.

Instead, Gabe spent the night with his eyes glued to his laptop screen, searching every possible source for information about his situation. He learned of secret government programs, of spying on citizens through various means. By the time it turned to one in the morning, Gabe had hung all his blankets up over the corners in his rooms and all windows in his room.

To say Gabe was a fucking wreck, in short, was an understatement.

He only found the familiar comfort of sleep after he slowly sneaked into the kitchen, finding some of his old, somewhat illegal medicine. He hadn’t dabbled in drugs for a long time, not after seeing the people around him slowly die and get caught by the police. Growing up had been hard, hands dirty with drugs and petty theft. Yet once he finally looked at his bloodshot eyes in the mirror and realized he was throwing his life away, he’d wiped his hands clean and become a man, providing for himself and his family until Chicago offered promising opportunities for his underground skill: BMXing.

And now he was working at a French cafe. That said enough about the quality of his life and dreams at the moment.

To throw away his years of being drug free just for some sleep to cope with the intense anxiety and paranoia made his heart thunder in his ears as he closed his eyes, trying to just _think._ Gabe could put the pills back and try to tuck his head under the pillow, focusing on the soft hum of traffic and not think of the surveillance he was under, of what Jack may be doing to earn money for rent. Sleep could come, yet it was unlikely. Was he willing to take the chances?

Nope.

So with a deep breath, Gabe poured some of his old pills onto the counter, quickly filling up a cup of water before he could change his mind. His hands were shaky, and as he picked up the pills he dropped them, watching the small tablets jump up and land by his toes. With a curse, he leaned down to pick them back up. But before he could swallow them or even get the medicine in his mouth, the light to the kitchen flickered on and Gabe turned with wide eyes, grabbing his cup and raising it to been thrown at the Men in Black who had obviously infiltrated his apartment to wipe his mind and make him a husk for experiments and-

“Gabe?” Jack asked, rubbing at his eyes with a loud yawn. With a shaky sigh of relief, Gabe growled under his breath, setting the cup down as he leaned against the countertops. He ran his hands through his hair as he tried to prevent himself from another anxiety attack, ignoring how Jack looked under the light glow of the ceiling lights. His hair was messy, blond locks looking as though Jack had been experiencing restless sleep before being woken up. And he was shirtless, a fact Gabe let him focus on just so he could steady himself. At least, that’s what he told himself anyways. “What are you doing? It’s…” Jack’s goddamn sparkly blue eyes flickered from the clock to the watch on his right hand, expression confused and groggy.

“2 in the morning… Thanks genius, glad to see you can read,” Gabe snarkily bit back, finally tearing his eyes from his attractive housemate before it could become more awkward than it already was. I mean, nothing could top when his ma walked in on him jerking off to gay porn, but having his hot, possible drug lord or secret government agent walk in on him about to do drugs.

Well shit.

Jack smiled softly before nodding, taking a seat at the other side of the counter top and looking at Gabe with concerned eyes. Said man groaned internally at the thought of another “Are you okay? Do you need the doctor? He can help you, Reyes” talk. The last time he’d received such talk had ended with two middle fingers in the windshield of Angela’s car, and if he couldn’t handle _Angela_ then there was no way he could handle smartass Jack at 2 in the fucking morning.

“Are you-”

“Don’t,” Gabe interrupted, taking a long drink of his water and trying to place his pills somewhere without getting Jack’s attention. But Jack wasn’t dumb, and Jack wasn’t just another oblivious blonde, farmer boy. His eyes were sharp and quick, showing a precision Gabe had only seen in the men on the street with scars on their skin and nightmares in the night. There was just one quick glance towards Gabe’s hand and Gabe knew he was fucked.

He took a deep breath, praying to God and thus...hell was unleashed.

Jack slammed his hands down onto the countertop, chair flying back and hitting the ground. Gabe winced at the sound, and the anxiety flared hot in his chest, but Gabe had been in more trouble than this… But then again, Jack was related to the government, so could he be arrested?

 _Well, shit,_ Gabe thought as Jack threw his hand in the general direction of the pills. “Are those fucking drugs, Gabriel?” he yelled, and Gabe couldn’t help but flinch at the sound of his full name. Full names were never a good sign.

“No, they’re sleeping pills. Chill the fuck out, Morrison,” Gabe sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose to try and quell the oncoming headache. He’d had a shitstorm of a day and he didn’t need to be chewed out by a privileged white boy who had his entire life set for him from the beginning of time. He knew his thoughts were rude and unwarranted as Jack had been nothing but kind and a dickead to him, but he was nearing being awake for 24 hours and a sleep deprived Gabriel Reyes was not a pretty Gabriel Reyes.

Jack scoffed and rolled his eyes, stalking over to him and reaching to grab the pills. Gabe smacked his hand away, taking an instinctive step forward towards the taller man. He only then realized their height difference, which was kind of anticlimactic and did nothing to boost Gabe’s confidence in the situation. Jack peered down at Gabe, whom crossed his arms and cocked his head to the side. “Don’t fuck with me, Golden Boy. You don’t know what the fuck I’ve been through,” he hissed, and Jack rolled his eyes, laughing bitterly.

“You wanna bet?” Jack spat, and Gabe frowned in confusion. “You were born in Los Angeles, and grew up in a dangerous neighborhood. You were forced into gangs for protection of your family and dealt drugs for money to provide for them, and a close friend of yours died from the gang wars. Another friend died from a drug overdose, and soon you got your shit together and got out of that neighborhood,” Jack whispered, and Gabe stopped, eyes wide at the summary of his childhood coming from a man he had just met.

“What the fuck?” Gabe said as he took a step back, hands clenching in anger at how his privacy had been invaded by some guy he has just met. “Who the fuck do you think you are, acting like you _know_ me?” he growled, knuckles hurting from how badly he was clenching them into fists. “You have no goddamn right to-”

Whatever plan Jack had, it worked. His movements were quick; shoving Gabe to the side and stepping into where he once been. It disoriented Reyes long enough for Jack to grab the pills on the counter and fling open the cabinet, pulling out Gabe’s stash. The drugs had been stored in regular Ibruprofen tabs, hidden under the numerous pills each one held. “No!” Gabe yelled, seeing his one hope of sleep disappearing into the bathroom along with Jack. He tripped on the rug as he raced after Jack, not regaining quick enough to prevent the sound of all the pills, including the harmless ones, being flushed down the toilet.

Gabe felt like such shit, in all honesty.

Jack walked back out, looking down at Gabe with a pitying expression. Reyes hands clenched into fists as he got to his feet, prepared to take his anger and hurt and fear out on farmer boy before Jack grabbed his wrists. “Don’t,” Jack warned, looking at him with such haunted eyes that Gabe was taken back enough to listen. “Don’t make me hurt you,” Jack whispered, and Reyes yanked his wrists out of Jack’s grasp.

“Too late,” he growled, stalking back into his room. He couldn’t ignore the familiar feeling of loss, of betrayal. He had no idea what he did to deserve that, besides the obvious. Jack was why he needed the drugs, why he needed the medication to make the fears, the paranoia go away.

Being watched brought back too many memories from his neighborhood, where guns were chosen over words and vigilantism over law. The only difference was that now it was truly personal, with Jack a few feet away and the Men in Black having eyes everywhere.

But he knew better than to be so selfish, it was just difficult to admit it was not Jack’s fault. Those eyes said more than being in agreement with the Men in Black, and all previous encounters Gabe had witnessed supported that theory. Jack was being terribly hurt by them, by whatever organization they belonged to. The government supporting them just made it worse.

If Gabe wanted to get better, he needed to stop the treatment Jack was receiving. Once Jack was free of whatever abuses he endured, Gabe would be too.

But he knew as he held his pillow over his face to protect him from the shadows in the dark, this was not just about him. This was about Jack.

He just wouldn’t admit it.

* * *

 

When Gabe stirred himself from the limbo of being awake and asleep he’d endured for the past few hours, Jack was at his door, dressed in a white dress shirt and…

“Are those fucking Captain America pajamas?” Gabe asked as he sat up in his bed. Jack had a soft smile on his face, but he saw the cheekiness underneath.

“I have no shame,” Jack admitted as he walked forward, passing Gabe a cup of coffee. Gabe looked up at him from under his brows and Jack took a sip, signalling him that no, it was no drugged.

“You’d think I’d be sick of coffee by now after making it so damn much,” Gabe thought aloud, and Jack chuckled underneath his breath,

“Maybe you should make me a nice espresso without puking from fear of being in my presence,” Jack sighed, looking up in mock thought. Gabe rolled his eyes.

“As if. I puked from how disgusting you looked….look, sorry,” Gabe said, and Jack gave him a quick middle finger before going to exit his room. Gabe couldn’t help but watch him leave, knowing there was still something left to be said. Jack wouldn’t avoid last night; Farmer boy didn’t roll like that.

“Oh, right, you have a doctor’s appointment today. 2:30,” Jack said nonchalantly before looking at him with mischief and worry in his eyes. There was a small smirk on his lips that Gabe tried so hard to ignore but couldn’t. “Rule Number 6,” Jack sighed, and so he left.

“Those are my goddamn rules!” Gabe hopelessly called after him, stomach churning with anxiety over the new information. Of course Jack would do a good guy thing. He _was_ the good, golden farmer boy after all. And Gabe...well, Gabe was Gabe.

And Gabe was sure the universe had decided he was an asshole...and possibly gay.

For a farmer boy who was recruited by the government which was hellbent on spying on them both.

Even Satan would be cringing at how cruel the situation seemed.

After a moment of confused silence, he cursed to himself, quickly fishing out his phone to tell Satan herself before stopping and wondering… How the fuck did Jack get the authority to make him a doctor’s appointment?

Oh right.

_The Government._

“Thanks Obama,” Gabe joked, and he knew he was in desperate need of that doctor as he sat in his room, laughing at his own joke.

 

By the time Gabe arrived at La Griffe, it seemed as though Satan, Amelie, had truly made the cafe her realm. There was flour caking the backroom/kitchen walls, and Angela was caked in it head to toe. Frosting stuck to the sole of Gabe’s foot as he entered from the back, getting into the crevices as he wiped his foot off with a silent ‘ew what the fuck’.

At the sound of his voice, Angela spun around and looked as though she could weep. She grabbed his shoulders and pulled him towards her for a hug, but he put his hands up to prevent the flour spreading to a new host. Either hell had literally broken loose, or Gabe was suddenly a chick magnet. He leaned towards the latter, but knew it was far from reality when Angela looked at him with wide, haunted eyes. Gabe felt as though Cooking Mama had been handed to fucking Stephen King or some shit.

“What the hell is going on here?” Gabe finally managed to bite out, and Angela opened her mouth to speak up when there was a loud yell from the actual cafe. Gabe furrowed his eyebrows, looking from his friend’s horrified expression to the doorway. He patted her shoulder in fake confidence and walked towards the front desk, earning a dramatic cry from Angela as she urged him to return to safety.

When he reached the front desk, he noticed Satya and an Egyptian women standing against the wall just outside the doorway to the front desk. He looked at them with a confused expression, and the Egyptian women popped a bubble with her gum. “Some brothers having a spat,” she explained, and Satya rolled her eyes.

“That’s an understatement. Amelie is gonna be pissed,” she sighed as she pulled out her phone, shaking her head.

“Thanks for the help,” Gabe said as he entered the front desk. There was only one other employee who was at the front desk and yelling loudly at whomever had unleashed hell itself upon the cafe, better than Amelie ever could hope to. He turned around, and Gabe stopped in his tracks. “Hey, didn’t you wanna be my housemate?” he asked as he was greeted with the fucking cowboy again. Said cowboy tipped his hat with a friendly smile.

“You betcha. Fancy seeing you here,” he greeted with a southern accent, but before they could catch up and talk about how bad Gabe feels about now letting him be his housemate, for obvious reasons, a plastic cup filled with coffee crashed into the wall behind them. They both ducked with expert reflexes, and the cowboy sighed before turning to the source of the chaos.

Gabe looked over the food display to see a number of people in the cafe, only a few sitting and watching as two men fought and screamed at one another. One man wore traditional Japanese garb while the other wore…

“Is he a fucking power ranger?” Gabe asked the cowboy, and he seemed to seriously think over it as he rubbed at his chin. But before he could get a reply, another cup of coffee came whizzing past Gabe’s face. “Holy shit,” he whispered, and the cowboy agreed.

There were chairs thrown aside, and tables flipped over as the men pointed at one another and continued their vicious spat. Yet despite how close they got to one another to scream in their face, there was no physical aggression. If the three people who remained in the restaraunt were frightened, they didn’t show it. Two men, one scrawny and the other not, sat in a booth sipping their coffee while cheering them on. One girl was recording it on her phone while giggling madly. It was when the older man threw a punch at his power ranger brother did Gabe intervene, going through a small gate that allowed them access to the actual cafe.

“Hey! Hey!” he yelled before grabbing the older man’s arm to hold him back. That earned him a dangerous glare as he yanked his arm back, adjusting his clothing and smoothing back his hair.

“This does not involve you,” he hissed, and Green Power Ranger scoffed, and damn, his cosplay was good because it sounded robotic. The man looked back at his brother with a quick, vicious movement and Gabe could collapse from how exhausted he was with the shitstorm of his life for the past week.

“Uh, yeah it does. You trashed the cafe...the cafe I work at,” Gabe sighed, looking at them as though they were dumb. The old man finally seemed to realize what he had done, and turned to observe the chaos. There was cake smeared along the glass wall that showcased the inside of the cafe from the outside, along with a number of spectators watching with wide eyed fascination. Coffee soaked the white tile floors, sticking to Gabe’s shoes as he turned to look at cowboy.

Said cowboy whistled as he observed the damage as well. “Well, you sure do know how to make an entrance,” he remarked, and the old man scoffed and rolled his eyes, looking at his brother up and down before leaving. Power Ranger bowed with a foreign goodbye, hopefully apologizing before departing as well.

And so Gabe stood there, confused as hell as he just witnessed one of the strangest occurrences, which was saying something considering the past couple of days. The scrawny man threw down a few dollar bills with a disappointed grumble, and the other one made a deep noise that Gabe assumed was a laugh as he pocketed the money. The girl in the corner sighed in disappointment, putting her phone away as she stood to leave.

“Nice coffee!” she said before leaving, and Gabe turned to looked at cowboy, who shrugged.

There was a loud, shrill screech from the doorway to the front desk, and Gabe felt his heart drop. He turned to see Satan revealing herself with a horrified expression. She looked from the cake on the walls to the stained floors to Gabe’s face.

“I didn’t do shit. I just got here,” he explained and she looked as though she had just gotten stabbed in the boob or some shit. She threw her hands up and made a silent scream before turning and stalking off to do whatever Satan did.

Cowboy chuckled before pulling out a cigar and lighting in. He leaned up against the countertop where they prepared coffee, taking one that was left alone among the chaos and taking a sip after a drag. “You don’t see that everyday,” he remarked, and Gabe groaned.

He was too old for this shit.

* * *

 

Amelie closed the shop for the day for obvious reasons, and on his way out to retrieve his bike and go practice BMXing, Angela walked up next to him, clearly having something to say. Gabe looked over at her and she caught his eye, stopping in her tracks to say something. But when she opened her mouth, she closed it, having difficulty finding what she had to say.

“Spit it out,” Gabe sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He didn’t mean to be rude, but it was one of those days. Ya know, those days where he got one hour of passable sleep, had to go to the doctor or face the government’s wrath and just had to stop a fight between a guy and a fucking power ranger.

Angela didn’t look hurt by his comment and instead seeming to understand. She tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear with a sigh. “Listen, I want you to know that I’m here for you,” she started, and Gabe sighed, looking up to the cloudy sky as though he were asking God Himself  ‘why?’. She jokingly punched his shoulder with a soft smile, acknowledging how her own actions were affecting him. “Shut up, you deserve to know that you’re not alone. I’m always here for you. You have my number in your phone, remember?” she reminded him, and he nodded.

“I know, but really, Angela-”

“Mercy.”

“...Mercy, I’m fine. Okay?” he insisted, but he knew he wasn’t convincing anyone if he couldn’t convince himself. She watched him with sad eyes for a few moments before nodding, pulling her coat against her tighter to preserve heat. The Lake’s wind was relentless and bitter.

“Okay… I have to go. See you later,” she said, strutting off towards God know where. She was probably going to go bake cakes to cope with the flour disaster.

Gabe watched her leave before looking at his phone, seeing a text. He frowned, opening the message up only to see it once again an unknown number. The cold air against his skin felt as though it were nothing as a shudder shook his body, hairs standing up as he read the message.

_We see you. We want you._

Gabe had seen plenty of movies, and he often bitched about how people never stayed calm. “Just chill the fuck out,” he always said, but right then and there as he turned around in a repeating circle trying to find the Men in Black, he couldn’t chill the fuck out. His one hand grip on his bike was hurting his hand but it felt numb in his fear.

Another text came through, and he looked down.

_Behind you._

Gabe whipped around, prepared to throw his phone at whoever was there and fucking put his glutes to use but he stopped, nearly collapsing in relief and anger.

There stood Jack Morrison; a shit eating grin on his face with his phone held high, capturing a photo of Gabe shiting himself.

Gabe threw his bike down at Jack’s feet, pointing at him in the most menacing possible way after being exposed. “Fuck you, Morrison. That shit was not fucking funny,” Gabe hissed, yet Jack’s expression didn’t even remotely change. That shit eating grin remained and mischief was bright in his eyes despite the clouds in the sky.

“Now I see why you needed those drugs, Reyes, but coffee usually does better,” Jack offered, earning another long glare from Gabe. But Gabe couldn’t stay mad at Jack no matter how hard he tried. That face broke all negative emotions that festered, and only enforced the positive ones. Like the fluttering in his chest as he saw Jack pocket his phone and reached back towards his backpack. A coffee was exposed in his hand, and was offered to Gabe, who took it after a few moments of consideration. No sane man would turn down caffeine in Gabe’s current situation, so that made him feel a bit better about himself.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” he grumbled before taking a nice long swig of the drink. The coffee was bitter, but it helped him stay grounded. The panic was still making him jittery, goosebumps littering his skin. “Thanks.”

Jack smiled at him, an expression that made Gabe quickly look away. He blamed the heat in his cheeks on the coffee, looking down at the ground. He felt like a fucking schoolgirl or some shit he was not supposed to feel like. Ugh.

“Why aren’t you working?” Morrison finally asked, and Gabe gave him a pointed look with wide eyes. Another grin came on his face, anticipating hearing the story when there was a ring from his phone. Jack looked down, joy draining from his face as he looked up and aimed his gaze past Gabe. Said man followed his eyes, seeing a familiar car parked maybe 10-15 feet away.

Any comfort Gabe felt drained away with Jack’s happiness, face turning pale and breath catching in his throat. He could practically feel the eyes on him, picking him apart and piecing him back together.

When a hand pressed itself against his left shoulder, he practically punched Jack who had surprised him. There was no anger or mockery in his face at the sudden threat of injury, but instead an understanding and comforting smile. “I have to go. See you later, Reyes,” Jack said before leaving him behind, dumping his own coffee in the trash.

A man stepped out of the car, opening a door for Jack. Gabe watched with horrified curiosity as the man closed the door, looking from the car door window to him himself. Those eyes were everywhere, in his room, and it gave him the same feeling; dread. It felt as though he were about to be waterboarded or whatever gruesome shit the government did to bad guys.

But Gabe wasn’t a bad guy…

Right?

With a deep breath, he tore his eyes away and got onto his bike, speeding away as fast as possible. He got to the skate park he practiced at, which was thankfully only littered with a few other people who practiced their respected talents.

There was one specific spot Gabe always went to, however, where he hid in the shadows the cement offered and simply thought. He stared at the sky, hands clasped on his knees. Gabriel wasn’t a religious man, but he believed in some divine intervention.

So for the first time in years, he lowered his head and prayed.

* * *

 

At 2:25 sharp, Gabriel entered a fancy looking clinic which was rather large and expensive looking. He couldn’t afford this kind of healthcare. Hell, he couldn’t even afford a nice steak, for fuck’s sake. Not when the goddamn Power Rangers wrecked his work.

But clearly they were expecting him, as a woman at a desk opened her window and spoke his name in a soft voice that almost calmed him. He nodded and walked towards her, providing his information before being told to wait.

There were only a few other people in the waiting area, some reading magazines and some on their phones. There was one, however, who simply sat and stared at the door that separated them from the rooms for inspection and care. It was a woman with long pink hair, body built of muscles and strength. She looked as though she were troubled, and so Gabe sat closest to her.

Her eyes only flickered to him when he sat down before returning to the doors, waiting for something to happen. Gabe didn’t know what, but he was pretty sure someone would come out and escort each of them to a nurse and then their doctor.

“What are you doing here?” she finally asked, voice a thick Russian accent. Gabe looked at her in surprise, not expecting her to speak or even look at him again.

“Uh...my housemate set up an appointment for me,” he told her, and she made a noise of recognition before falling silent again. He watched her in confusion for a few moments, noticing how unspoken words were still thick in the air.

“I’m sorry then,” she apologized, and he frowned, not liking the feeling he was getting from this exchange. Was she threatening him? Was she about to shoot up the place or-

A woman’s voice said Gabe’s name, gaining his attention. He looked over to see a woman waiting for him, and he got to his feet, looking from the Russian woman to the nurse. She looked from his eyes to the door, and he went to follow the nurse.

The nurse gave him a kind smile before escorting him to a scale to get his weight and height. He’d lost a few pounds, which wasn’t surprising considering the stress he was under and that Jack insisted on eating his fucking yogurt. After writing down his data, she brought him to a white room with pictures of flowers hung up.

“The doctor will be with you in a few moments,” she told him, and when Gabe went to thank her, she was already gone, door shut. He frowned, noticing how she didn’t mention his doctor by name.

Weird…

Gabe sat down, pulling out his phone to see a few texts from Angela.

_Gabe_

_Gabe_

_Gabe_

Said man sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and taking a deep breath.

**What**

_GABE!!!_

_Thank goodness ur here...  I need ur help_

**With?**

_Do i make vanilla cake or chocolate cake_

**Uh...vanilla?**

_Oh… I see… you like it nice and white aye ? ;)_

Gabe was very pleased he was at the doctors so that way if he had a heart attack from his high blood pressure he could possibly not die. But considering how high his blood pressure had just ridden, survival was slim.

**Stop.**

_Hahaha_

Thankfully, before Gabe could reply the door slid open to reveal a woman stepping in with a clipboard in her hand. She held out her free hand so Gabe could shake it, and promptly sat down afterwards.

“Hello Gabriel! What brings you here today?” she asked, and he supposed he should be honest. Considering his lack of drugs to help him not become more of a nervous wreck, he might as well try and get some new legal drugs to help him.

“Well Doctor…”

“Amari,” she said, holding out her hand. Gabe shook it with a small smile, and she waited for him with kind, old eyes.

“I... I have trouble sleeping. I feel like I’m being watched and it drives me insane,” he admitted, and she nodded, writing something down quickly before stopping, expecting him to continue. He didn’t know what else there was to admit other than… “And... And I’m having bad anxiety,” he told her, feeling ashamed of being held down by such a pathetic reason.

She sighed before pushing her glasses up on the top of her head. “And do you believe you are being watched?” she asked him, and Gabe’s cheeks flushed hot from how dumb he felt. But before he could chicken out of the truth, she placed a hand on his knee. “I know how humiliated you must feel, but please understand. These feelings are okay, because you are seeking treatment. Everyone experiences anxiety, and everyone can get better from it,” she reassured him, and Gabe felt somewhat better. But it still ruined his tough guy persona he felt as though he had to live up to.

“...yes...I do,” he finally bit out, rubbing at his eyes from the exhaustion he felt. Dr Amari clearly noticed as she grabbed a small flashlight from her pocket and shined it in his eyes.

She tsked at him in a way a mother would and asked, “When was the last time you slept?”

Gabe stopped and honestly had to think about that question. “A day and a half, I think?” he guessed and she sighed loudly before writing something down. She shook her head.

“You kids nowadays don’t take care of yourself better. Here, let’s get the usual examination out of the way and you can pick up some sleeping pills. That should help with the anxiety, as most of it stems from sleep deprivation,” she told him, and Gabriel sighed in relief, fantasizing about the sweet, sweet sleep he would soon be getting.

He merely let Dr Amari do whatever it is doctors did with their weird tests and took a piece of paper from her to give to person at checkout. As he was walking to the exit, he noticed the woman from before still sitting at the waiting area, gaze still focused on the door. Gabe frowned, unsure of what to think. Was she mentally ill? Was she…

He didn’t have time to think as a man bumped into him, making him drop his papers. Gabe was prepared to tell the guy off until he apologized sporadically, dropping down to pick up the papers they’d both dropped.

“I’m so sorry man. I just gotta get to my daughter’s school to pick her up,” he apologized, and the anger died in Gabe’s throat.

“Hey, it’s okay,” he told the guy who gave him a big smile before running off past checkout. Gabe watched him leave, looking back to see the girl only to find her gone. He frowned, shaking his head with a dismissive “what the fuck” as he approached checkout.

The woman working checkout ordered his prescription and gave him some papers to bring to the local CVS. As Gabe left, he looked up to the sky and thanked whatever divine entity had given him a break.

Sleep had never sounded better.

* * *

 

Gabriel got home at roughly 6pm to an empty apartment, marking off that time on the list of ‘When does Jack Get Home from His Possibly Illegal Job”. He opened up the fridge to find a new yogurt there with a note of ‘For the best grumpy grandpa ever’ attached to it. Gabe rolled his eyes and tossed the note in the trash, collapsing on the couch and turning on the TV.

The two hours in which he merely just sat and watched Seinfeld were the most relaxing hours of his past week. He couldn’t help but start dozing off, only waking himself up to take his new medicine.

After finishing his yogurt he slumped back onto the couch to doze off to Seinfeld, being pulled into a blissful dream of puppies and butterflies and… Jack?

It was dark when he woke up to something jumping onto his legs. He frowned, blinking away the grogginess he felt and ignoring how his stomach churned for some unknown reason. Gabe felt rather sick as he regained consciousness, but he ignored the feeling and looked down at his feet.

To his surprise, Jack was sitting at the other end, draping his feet across Gabe’s. Gabe groaned and snuggled back into his pillow, trying to ignore how bony Jack was and how warm he was and...  Fuck.

“Morrison, get the fuck off of me before you-”

“Die? Hmm...kill me with what? Your mean glare?” Jack snickered, and Gabe groaned loudly, trying to drown out how loud the TV was. He fished around for the remote only to grab Jack’s knee, a feeling that made him feel as though he’d just been electrocuted. “Whoa, trying to cop a feel, Reyes? My dick is up here,” he joked and Gabe flipped him off.

“Turn down the fucking TV before I _punch_ your dick,” Gabe hissed, and there was awkward silence.

“Uh...Gabe the TV is on literally 2,” he told Gabe, who looked over at him with obvious confusion. 2? That was barely audible, so why was it so goddamn loud?

“Well, turn it down anyways. This medicine fucked me up,” he groaned, pulling the blanket tighter around his body. Jack made some quiet comment Gabe tuned out, drifting off to sleep with Jack on top of him.

Despite how shitty Gabe felt, things were okay. Jack was sitting with him, he was getting sleep and there were no direct threats from the government.

Gabriel drifted off to sleep after a few more silent moments, and he woke up to find Jack asleep on the other side of the couch, snuggled under the blanket with him. His toes kept ticking the back of Gabe’s knew, and he moved away from the touch, looking at the watch on his hand for an idea of how late they’d slept.

7:30…

Holy shit did that medicine knock him out.

With a silent curse, Gabe threw the blanket off of his body and began to strip his way into the bathroom. Jack stirred on the couch, a soft “what?” tossed into the air for Gabe to hear but not for him to care. He imagined what a sight he must be before he hopped into the shower, quickly cleaning his hair and scrubbing himself down.

He only showered for a few minutes before hopping out and wrapping a towel around his waist, grabbing his toothbrush to quickly brush his teeth. The bathroom door opened and farmer boy lazed on in, rubbing the back of his neck as he yawned loudly. He saw half naked Gabe, and stopped, rubbing at his eyes. “Am I still dreaming?” he whispered, and Gabe groaned loudly, rolling his eyes as he spit out the excess toothpaste.

“You disgust me,” Gabe hissed, and Jack blew a kiss to him before turning his hand into a middle finger. Reyes groaned and ran into his room, throwing on as passable of an outfit he could get away with at work. It was only when he was zipping up his pants did he realize he forgot to shave, but before he could complain there was a voice from his door.

“You look fine, honey dearest,” Jack said in a high pitched voice, holding a cup of coffee in an outstretched hand. Gabe looked at the cup in suspicious, earning a dramatic gasp. “Really, buttercup? You think I would poison you? I am HURT,” he fake sobbed, before stopping. “Actually, yes, yes I would,” he admitted, and Gabe took the coffee.

“Just...shut up. Please,” Gabe told him, and Jack saluted.

“Yes sir!”

“And don’t call me sir.”

“Yes-” Jack stopped himself with a cheeky grin, and Gabe quickly drank half of the coffee before handing it back.

“More cream, and-”

“Foam?” Jack suggested, and Gabe was practically triggered at hearing the word. He shuddered in disgust, stomach churning as he pulled on his shoes and grabbed his coat.

“Don’t ever bring up that god awful invention around me again or else you-”

“Die?”

Gabe stopped, before nodding. “Yes. Goodbye.”

And thus, he was gone. Jack stared at the closed door for a few moments in thought, a weight in his chest as he looked from the messy couch to the coffee in his hand.

“Christ, what have I gotten myself into?” he asked the air, and predictably, the air did not respond. So he took a sip of the coffee, agreeing with Gabe before emptying it into the sink. “Can’t believe he needs medicine,” he thought aloud, looking at the prescription Gabe had lazily thrown on the countertop after taking them that night. “All because of-”

Jack stopped, the prescription tag catching his eyes. He frowned, picking up the bottle and reading it closer. Horror gripped him with an icy grasp, making him fumble around in the cabinets to find his own medicine he’d carefully hidden. A familiar bottle was found and in his other hand, Jack quickly comparing the two tags.

He looked up at the time, figuring that by then Gabe would not be anywhere close enough for him to run after. “Oh shit,” he said, and “Oh Shit’ was right.

* * *

 

By the time Gabe arrived at La Griffe, it was 8:00 and he was expected to be at the front desk. He threw his coat onto the hanger by the backdoor, and grabbed his apron. There were a few moments where he struggled to tie it behind his back before hands did it for him. Angela was there behind him, offering a kind smile.

“You look better,” she told him, and he nodded, ignoring the churning of his stomach. He felt nauseous and his head pounded, but he contributed it to the sleep deprivation he’d endured and the anxiety. Maybe it was some weird side effects of his sleeping and anxiety medicine.

“I feel better,” he told her, and it was a half lie. Gabe had finally gotten a good night of sleep, which did make him feel better. But he felt worse than he did when he had full blown nervous breakdown after seeing the Men in Black outside his fucking work.

Angela seemed to notice something was wrong, but she didn’t say anything as Amelie poked her head into the backroom. “Reyes! Get your ass up here! We’re swamped!” she yelled, and Gabe looked to Angela with eyes that begged for mercy.

“Satan calls,” he sighed, bidding her farewell and approaching the front desk.

Satya was working register as she had some ungodly math skills, and cowboy was helping make the drinks alongside Gabe. The Egyptian woman was giving the desserts and food to customers, occasionally running into the backroom to restock.

In the few days that Gabe worked at La Griffe, it had never been more busy than then. And it was obvious why.

Apparently some viral video had spread throughout the internet of the fight that went down here, and soon people wanted to eat where a samurai fought a fucking Power Ranger. They were swamped, in short, and maybe that’s why Gabe didn’t notice it right away.

His headache suddenly began to crash down on him, a ringing in his ears as everything became louder, and louder until it was deafening. He began to wince, faltering in his job enough to get cowboy’s concern. A hand placed itself on his shoulder, steadying him as he began to wobble. “Partner? You okay?” he asked, and the eyes that were on fellow customers and the menu turned to him as he began to breathe heavily.

Gabe turned to leave the front desk, grabbing the wall that held the menu as he dragged himself to Angela. She could help, there was a reason why she was called Mercy right?

But he didn’t make it that far before he dropped to his knees, emptying his stomach on the floor right then and there. People screamed in disgust and he could Amelie screeching from the sight, but soon it turned silent as he looked up to see Mercy reaching for him. She looked terrified as she looked from the ground to his face.

“Fucking Morrison,” he groaned, and he resumed to vomiting as people screamed in horror.

Except it wasn’t vomit.

It was blood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha enjoy my cliffhanger!!! *Evil laughter*  
> well i hope you enjoyed that! thank you sooooo much for reading !!!!  
> leave kudos if you liked it !  
> leave a comment with your thoughts, or, even better, your feedback! i dont wanna disappoint you guys with this story!!!  
> have a great day/ night frens <3 <3 <3


	5. Pagoda

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabe is rushed to the hospital, and Jack finds out a new development regarding Gabe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so this one isn't as long as the last chapter so im sorry about that !   
> i tried to get as much medical terms and shit accurate but if I didn't im super sorry !!! i did some research to try and get stuff right but if i fucked up lo siento  
> i hope you guys like this chapter !!!   
> thank you all for the support i've been receiving! there were so many comments last chapter aha it made me so happy !!! <3

Jack was not just a farmer, contrary to Gabe’s words and beliefs. His entire life was not spent waking up at the asscrack of dawn to help with the animals, to collect eggs and milk the cows. He did not harvest the miles of corn his family insisted on planning. “For the neighbors and the less fortunate,” his mom always said when Jack brought it up, a kind smile reaching her eyes. 

No, Jack was more privileged than that. And he accepted it. 

He attended a good high school, participating in as many sports as possible. First, he tried football, only playing it until he graduated because his father insisted. “A good sport for a good man,” he told Jack, hands clasped on the back of his neck in a reassuring manner. With that description, he assumed it seemed as though he hated football, but he didn’t. He enjoyed football, but it wasn’t his passion. 

Baseball wasn’t his passion either. He found the game too quick, for his taste. Step to the base, hit the ball and run like the devil was after ya. His cousins loved to come watch him play, sitting in the stands with his too big caps and handed down jerseys. They’d cheer him on obnoxiously, but it was cute to him. When his team won the championship each year, he gave them his trophy and medal, autographing their own baseballs. He felt silly doing so, but the glint in their eyes made him feel less so. 

They joined baseball once they were old enough, and before Jack moved to Chicago he went to every game, seeing them wear their own hates and jerseys. 

Jack’s passion was golf. Sounded dumb, and at first Jack thought it was dumb. But once he was dragged along enough times to the local golf course by his friends and family, he found himself loving it more and more. There was something in calculating your every move. You had to  _ think _ , something rare in the fast paced games he’d found himself in for a number of years.

He was talented at golf too, earning a number of awards and prizes for his skill. There were a number of scholarships by the time he was a senior in highschool, but that meant nothing to him. Not when his father became ill. 

“Colon cancer,” the doctor told him in the hallways of a hospital in Chicago after they drove him there in hopes of better treatment. Jack had popped the tire 3 times driving there, well over the speed limit despite the knowledge that getting there wouldn’t make the cancer go away. The cancer would never go away.

The doctor speaking to him was a man around his father’s age, wrinkles making him look tired and weary. When he wrote, his hand shook, but Jack didn’t mind. This man was the best shot at his father surviving, even when there was very ltitle hope. 

“Stage four.”

Jack looked back towards his father, who was holding the hand of his mother. She looked nowhere other than her husband, knuckles turning white from his tightly she gripped him. Tears hadn’t stopped dripping down her cheeks, eyes red and mascara running. He knew she could feel his eyes on her, but she didn’t look back.

Without his father, Jack would be the oldest in his family. He would have to provide for his family, and where they lived, there was no other job than what the land offered. But this wasn’t just about the money loss, this was about losing his  _ father.  _

Jack had stood outside of his father’s room for every hour that passed, seeing his mother slowly fall asleep with her head on her husband’s chest. He watched the sun fall and the moon replace it, only finding himself being the moon and his dad the sun. The sun helped the Earth grow, and the Moon kept the tides moving. 

At first, he didn’t even notice the men behind him until there was a stern, “Jack Morrison.” 

He was naive then, turning around with surprised blue eyes but presenting the charming smile that had colleges and women swooning. “Yes?” he replied, and the two men before him were wearing fitted black uniforms, looking as though they were the secret service. At first, he was put off by their appearance, not even being able to look them in the eyes as they had dark sunglasses. “I’m Jack,” he held out his hand, yet the men did not shake it. He grew uneasy. 

“We have a proposition for you,” one man told him, and Jack looked at them in confusion. Were they from another college? He opened his mouth, ready to refuse until he was interrupted. “We understand your father’s condition, and that is survival is slim to none. However, we can cure his cancer,” they told Jack, and Jack stopped, laughing without humor. 

“Cure cancer? That’s...that’s impossible,” he started, but the other man held up his hand before pulling out a suitcase. The man who had spoken to him reached into the outheld suitcase, pulling out a folder with the official stamp of the military. Jack frowned, feeling his heart stutter. What the hell was going on? 

“Read the contents of this folder, and once you have reached a decision, call the listed number. Goodbye, Jack Morrison.”

And they were gone, leaving Jack with more questions than answers and a folder in his hand. He looked from the folder to his mother, who was still sound asleep on his father’s chest, the monitor beeping steadily. Could they cure cancer? Could they save his father’s life? 

A few hours later, Jack held his phone in his hand until his call went through. There was silence at first, but he suspected it was purposeful. They needed his answer. 

“I’m in.”

“Welcome, Jack Morrison.”

Never did Jack think his decision would end up with sleepless nights, a beaten body, and his housemate collapsed on the floor of a cafe with blood on his face. Thankfully, the past couple of months had provided plenty of training, and he pushed through the mass of people screaming and sobbing, on their phones with hopefully 911. “Let me through! I’m a medic!” he lied, but it worked. The people stepped aside as he pulled himself over the front counter, landing next to Gabriel. 

Angela was holding her hands to his throat, eyes on the watch on her hand as she counted his pulse. She looked up to him with concentrated eyes, clearly prepared for this better than anyone else. “His pulse is racing,” she told Jack, and Jack nodded. 

“Better than no pulse at all,” he said, and she nodded, lips pulled into a tight line as she thought over the situation. He knew she was going over what could be causing Gabe’s reaction, seeing her eyes dart left and right as though she were reading a list. 

“What could have caused this?” she whispered to herself, and Jack frowned, looking back down to Gabe’s face. There was dried blood at the corner of his mouth, and short breaths were making a rattling noise in his throat. Even unconscious, he looked troubled, a scowl on his face. Jack snickered to himself, reaching behind him into a cabinet for a paper towel to wipe the blood away. “Don’t be afraid, Gabe,” he whispered, fear still turning his blood cold. 

“Jack!” Angela yelled, and said man looked at her with wide eyes. She looked as though she had regained some control of the situation, and Jack understood she possibly had a theory. “Has he taken any medication recently? Drugs?” 

Jack remembered back to when he flushed all of Gabe’s drugs down the toilet, wondering if Gabe had any more or had been abusing before then. But when he’d found Gabe ready to swallow a few tablets, his knuckles had been white, eyes troubled and haunted by unseen problems. It was a look Jack was all too familiar with when he found himself in the bathroom at ungodly hours, nightmares nipping at his heel. 

But then there was the matter of his new medicine. It was too similar to Jack’s for it to not be related, and he knew how dangerous the medication Gabe had taken was. It was a steroid, but it was a steroid  _ on steroids.  _ It was fucking intense, and Jack would know. But how had Gabe gotten the medicine? The doctor he’d scheduled for Gabe wouldn’t have prescribed steroids, unless there was sabotage involved. Amari was a longtime friend… 

“He may have been abusing drugs or taken steroids,” Jack finally bit out, and he saw the motherly look return to Angela’s eyes as her fingers ghosted over Reyes’ cheekbone. Her eyebrows were furrowed in thought. 

“Drugs? Jesus Reyes...what have you done?” she sighed, and almost as though he heard her, Gabe frowned, coughing slightly. 

“Did you know unconscious people can still sometimes hear you?” Jack told her and she gave him a nice side eye, copping a small smirk from Jack. Finally, the ambulance arrived, the sirens loud as they pulled up. Angela looked over towards the entrance. “Let’s get him up on the desk,” Jack suggested and she nodded. He took Gabe’s upper half while Angela got his legs, hoisting the man onto the front desk. 

Paramedics rushed in with a gurney, quickly asking what happened. As Jack had only just arrived, Angela moved to approach the paramedics and exited the area behind the desk. Jack followed her, listening to her summary. “He began to dry heave, looking like he was going to pass out. Then he just...vomited and passed out,” she quickly explained, and Jack nodded to himself. Sounded familiar… 

The paramedics locked Gabe into the gurney, starting to pull him out of the building. Jack snapped himself out of his stupor, quickly following. “I need to come,” he blurted out, and a paramedic looked at him with an inquisitive look. Jack felt dumb, understanding that he had to be family, and quickly tried to think of a lie. “I’m...his husband,” he bit out, and he thought he heard Angela choke behind him. He shot a look over his shoulder, catching her hiding a smile behind a hand over her mouth. 

The paramedic followed his look to Angela, almost as though they need confirmation. She nodded, now having a straight, serious face. “They’ve been married for a few months now. They married out in Vermont,” she lied, and when the paramedic looked away she winked at Jack. He could practically kiss her, but he didn’t, instead climbing into the back of the ambulance with Gabe. 

He wondered what his housemate would say if he was awake. Probably something along the lines of, “This is really fucking gay”, which it was. There was no denying that. But Jack only admitted that he was doing this because he was a good man and Reyes was a...friend. He would do the same if he was in the gurney. 

He kept telling himself that as they drove to the hospital, holding Gabe’s hand loosely as the paramedic did whatever tests required. There was no ignoring how sick Jack felt as he saw the I.V pop into his arm, an oxygen mask put over his lips. It felt wrong seeing Gabe like this. He didn’t deserve it. 

And soon the grip Jack had on Gabe’s hand became sturdy, intentional. 

“Please be okay,” he whispered, resting his head on Gabe’s chest, counting the heartbeats and the seconds that passed. 

It was when they arrived at the hospital did all hell break loose. Gabe’s pulse randomly dropped, enough to make the paramedics start going into full doctor mode. Jack suddenly felt like his mom when they started pumping things into Gabe, said man’s face becoming paler and paler. Could those fucking steroids caused this severe of an issue? Could those steroids kill Gabe? 

They abruptly parked, and the back doors flew open as more people greeted them. There were people in scrubs, probably nurses and doctors prepared to treat Gabe. “What’s happening?” Jack cried, and no one answered, too busy talking to one another as they pulled the gurney out and through a set of doors into the hospital. He quickly followed them, panic taking control of him despite his copious training to remain calm. “What’s happening?!” he cried, and he remembered all too well how his mother acted the same way when his father’s condition worsened. 

Crying, yelling and silent tears as she paced the waiting room. And soon Gabe was gone, leaving Jack alone where she once had been. He merely stood in this all too white of a room where people passed understanding glances. With a sigh he collapsed into a chair underneath a Television, dropping his head into his hands from the exhaustion and fear that swept through him.

He didn’t know how long he sat there, simply thinking and imagining every situation that could happen. He imagined a doctor coming to see him with blood gloves, a soft “He’s gone” being delivered. Too often were his imaginations ending in Gabe’s death, or worse. It was a relief when a hand rested itself on his shoulder, making him jolt back to reality. 

At first Jack assumed it was the doctor delivering the news, but once he looked up he saw Angela with a comforting smile. He returned the smile best he could before looking back down. She took a seat next to him, not saying anything for a few moments. It was obvious she was waiting for his permission or invitation to speak. 

“His pulse got worse,” he finally told her, and Angela nodded. “...what if he dies, Angela? What do I do?”

Her hand rested itself on his knee, and he looked over at her. Her eyes were wide with hope, but he saw the fear in there too. “What we always do; grieve, recover and move on.” 

Jack nodded, but he couldn’t help but feel troubled. 

That’s what a soldier did, but Jack was not a soldier. 

He was a human. 

* * *

 

Gabe wasn’t afraid of death. He’d never been. Back when he was young, death was always around him as his neighbors were taken by violence and drugs. His mother would grieve for each loss in her room, praying in Spanish. He’d never been bothered by her tears, which were only seen when a new gravestone was added to the cemetery. She’d always kiss his forehead, telling him that death was natural, that everyone died. 

“Everyone will die, nino,” she said in their kitchen on a late Sunday afternoon, busy with cooking dinner. The house smelled of her unique soup and salsa, and Gabe sat at the dinner table, eager for her food. The topic of death didn’t bother him at his young age, thinking of death as shooting his friends with fake guns in their fake games. 

He thought for a few seconds over her words. “Will I die, mama?” he asked, and she looked over at him with a soft, sad smile. She nodded, and he frowned. “I don’t wanna die! Then I can’t play with Johnny and Desmond,” he whined, and she chuckled as she continued to cook. 

“Don’t worry, Gabriel. You won’t die for a long time, understand me?” she told him, and he nodded, saluting her in high spirits. 

“Yes ma’am!” he cheered and she laughed her warm smile, the kitchen bright with the sun. 

But soon death became nothing like the casual conversation on that Sunday. Soon, Gabe was seeing men be shot in the streets, dropping down behind cars and running while staying as low as he could get. Hushed, “Hurry!”s being exchanged between his friends and him. Cheeky smiles and wild eyes when they got away, high on the adrenaline of being alive. But Gabe soon found their shared comfort dying with each new body. 

Johnny’s brother had a bullet put between his eyes as they stopped for gas, the noise deafening as Gabe opened the car door, dropping to the ground. The cement scraped his palms as he couldn’t make out the screaming from the ringing, pressing a hand to his ear and wondering if he were now deaf. He’d spared a look behind him only to see Johnny’s brother’s blank eyes staring after him, seeing what he could no longer do. 

And soon Johnny shrank back at the sound of loud noises, arms in long sleeves and eyes bloodshot from all the weed. He tried to forget, as anyone would do. But he found himself looking for the next high, for the next night he could lay back and not want to die. Gabe supposed he was pleased when he was finally shot in the lungs after a drug deal gone bad, but that hadn’t changed how Gabe had felt. 

Soon Gabe began to steal from Johnny’s old stash, trying to forget how it was just him and Desmond left on the neighborhood. And Desmond was even stepping deeper and deeper into the pool of crime, disappearing through Gabe’s window at night to join his “boys”. But Gabe would watch him leave, fingering the pill bottles and wondering how far he could go before sinking into his bathtub and blowing bubbles instead of blowing air. 

It was only when Desmond didn’t come back and his mom grabbed him by the shoulders, asking why he didn’t stop him, why he didn’t tell her. His only answer was “Lo Siento” to both his mother, and his corpse at the open casket funeral. There were too many funerals, too many regrets and broken promises. Too many bullets spent on harm and not good, spent of murder and not defense. 

Death became the flowers in the kitchen, dying with each passing day before his madre tossed them out, only to buy more. She cared for them the best she could, grumbling in Spanish about how she killed everything she touched. And he wondered if whenever he kissed her cheek and handed her money from the drug deals in the alleys what she said was true to not just flowers, but to him too. 

And as he woke up to bright, fluorescent lights, he assumed that was true. 

Gabe didn’t understand what had happened, his last memory being of going to work. He remembered Angela’s bright eyes, soft smile and reassuring words, and how cowboy’s fucking facial hair bothered him. But after seeing Jack crossing the street and seeing the cars speed by, there was nothing except a metallic taste and a sharp, stabbing pain in his lower stomach. 

After that, an awkward, blank space devoid of any memories, information or feelings. 

He assumed he wasn’t dead as there was a soft beeping next to him, and with a deep breath he looked towards the noise. But instead of seeing machinery, he first saw the vast city of Chicago sprawling out before him, ending at the line of buildings and the lake reclaiming its glory. It was dark, the sun just lazily peeking over the horizon in a soft, “Hello, Goodbye”. 

So Gabe wasn’t dead, and he was briefly pleased with stepping so close to death only to get away. He felt that same adrenaline he had with Johnny and Desmond; wild smiles and breathless laughter. But look at how that ended for them; six feet under the Earth with bullet wounds in their corpse. 

With a soft sigh, he looked back up to the ceiling, prepared to close his eyes and return to sleep when there was a soft snore next to him. Gabe looked so fast that he felt actual physical pain, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the surprise he felt. 

There in a chair, unread magazine on the ground, was Jack Morrison, fast asleep and  _ snoring _ . His head was tilted back past the chair, arms crossed and feet propped up on the lower end of Gabe’s bed. That perfect blonde hair was messy and greasy, sticking up everywhere. In short, Jack Morrison was still fucking cute even after God knows how long without a shower. 

Gabe snickered to himself, briefly mulling over what he should do before settling on the obvious. 

Gabe looked down at the small device on his right index finger before taking it off, making the heart monitor flatline. Almost instantly, Jack shot straight up, looking at the monitor and to Gabe as he got to his feet, prepared to get help until he saw that Gabe, the dead man, was actually alive. 

Gabe laughed before grabbing his chest, stopping himself as the pain increased. But he couldn’t stop being amused at how murderous Jack looked as he collapsed back in his chair, running his hands through his hair. “God fucking dammit, Reyes, don’t do that again,” he hissed, and Gabe smirked. 

“What? Is Jackie Wackie gonna miss Gabie Wabie?” he mocked, and Jack rolled his eyes. He looked like hell, dark shadows under his eyes and eyes bloodshot. Had he been crying? Gabe would ask, but with one pointed look from Jack he decided not to. He looked as though he’d been to the Vietnam war. “So, what’s my diagnosis doc?”

Jack took a deep breath. “Wouldn’t say I was a doctor, but you have gastrointestinal bleeding, which means your intestines were bleeding, presumably from drug abuse or steroids,” he told Gabe, who frowned at the news. He hadn’t taken drugs in years, and the only medicine he had been taking was the medication prescribed by Dr Amari. 

“That...doesn’t make sense though,” Gabe insisted, catching Jack’s attention. Farmer boy nodded, looking troubled as he balanced his elbows on his knees in thought. “I haven’t done drugs in  _ years _ , and the only medicine I took was-”

“From Doctor Amari,” Jack finished, and Gabe looked back to him with furrowed eyebrows. 

“Did...did you set this up?” the question made Jack look at him with hurt eyes, and he instantly regretted it. But he had almost died, so he had a right to know. “I mean, I don’t think I’m that bad of a housemate but clearly-”

“Shut up,” Morrison interrupted with sharp words, and Gabe’s mouth clamped shut. Clearly his question had struck a nerve. “If I wanted you dead, I would do it myself. Not drug you or set you up,” he hissed, and Gabe couldn’t agree more. The guy was buff as hell, and if he was tangled in some illegal web he needed to be strong and capable. And after seeing him shirtless more times than he could count, he knew personally how efficient he could be with those muscles. 

Gabe went to apologize, but stopped himself. He knew Jack wouldn’t wanna hear it and so he canned it, instead opting for a semi-awkward silence. What did he say after nearly dying? “Hey, I think I kinda have feelings for you but I’m also on the edge of a nervous breakdown so I don’t know what to do?”? If he confessed to his anxiety and his ideas of being spied on, he would probably be admitted to the psych ward, which just added to the money he did not have. 

So he opted for the awkward silence until there was a knock at the door. Gabe and Jack looked over to see a group of people outside, a doctor speaking to them with outstretched arms and a loud voice even Gabe could hear in his room. Jack got to his feet, clearly confused. “What in God’s name-”

The door flew open, and a number of people spilled into the room. Angela was the head of the pack, flocking to Gabe’s side and grabbing his hand. “Oh god God Gabe, why didn’t you tell me? We could’ve gotten you help and treatment and-”

The next was Satya, who merely stood behind Angela and observed his body. “You had a 75.79% chance of bleeding out, not good odds, and a 33.4% chance of-”

The next was cowboy, who tipped a hat and lit a cigar, which was definitely against hospital’s protocols. At the sight, Jack’s eyes practically bugged out of his head, mouth open and ready to yell before being interrupted. “Hey there partner, how ya holdin up? Scared us pretty damn-”

Lena was at the foot of his bed in literally a blink of the eye, a small bag in her hand. “Hey there! I heard about what happened and I thought you’d like some snacks and-”

Amelie joined her side, and Gabe was certain he had entered hell if Satan herself appeared. “You start as soon as you’re healed and ready,” she told him, and that got everyone’s attention. 

“Really?” Angela asked her, which led to everyone else voicing their annoyance and dismay. Even Lena voiced her disagreement to Amelie who finally raised her hands in surrender. 

“Fine...you start after one week.”

“Of paid leave,” Jack interrupted, and everyone raised their fists, yelling their support until Amelie finally agreed. 

Gabe rolled his eyes at the scene before thanking everyone, asking Lena what she had brought him. A bright grin was on her face as she put the bag at the edge of the bed, slowly taking out unhealthy snacks and drinks. Gabe could practically feel heart disease with each new addition, but smiled and thanked her. He was prepared to turn and ask Angela what happened before Lena gasped, reaching back into the back to pull out-

“Yogurt!” he gasped, and Lena’s infectious grin returned. 

“Yep! Jack gave me five dollars to get you as much as possible!” she told him, and Gabe looked over to said man, who was reading his magazine. At the feeling of everyone’s eyes, he looked up, faking ignorance. 

“What?” he said, and Angela sighed loudly before squeezing Gabe’s hand. 

“Don’t be put off by his grumpiness right now. He was so woried,” she told him, and he scoffed at her words, rolling his eyes. She frowned, smacking his hand lightly. “Don’t be like that. He practically destroyed the cafe to get to you once he arrived,” she told him, and she randomly burst into giggles. “He even told the paramedics you two were married so he could ride in the ambulance with you,” she whispered, and Gabe couldn’t help but break out in laughter at how ridiculous that sounded. 

“You’re kidding,” he insisted and she shook her head, and cowboy raised his hand. 

“I can conclude that Miss Angela is telling nothing but the truth,” he told Gabe, who smirked and looked over at Jack, who’s face was as red as the bubblegum Lena brought him. He looked ashamed, grumbling a “what? I thought they’d hurt you” before going back to his magazine. 

Angela winked at Gabe who sighed, and soon Lena launched into a long story about how the business of the place has surprisingly gone up. It’d earned a new reputation of being a hotspot for action and drama. 

Gabe was half heartedly paying attention and being involved with the conversation, nodding here and there and smiling at the funny bits. But he was more focused on Jack, who was looking around as though he were expecting someone. But no one was outside the room, and it seemed like everyone from the cafe who really knew him was already there. 

If anyone noticed, no one showed it, instead conversing with one another like old friends. But to Gabe, Jack’s paranoia stuck out like another toe, and he no matter how interesting Lena’s stories got he couldn’t be pulled away from watching Jack with quick glances and side eyes. 

Morrison abruptly looked at his phone, looking up and then behind him before excusing himself for the bathroom, nevermind that there was one in the room. Gabe watched him leave, mind spinning with questions as to where he was going as Jack exited his view. 

He started the glass wall for a few moments longer before Angela said his name, regaining his attention. He provided a small, apologetic smile before saying, “Sorry, I’m just really fucking tired.” It wasn’t a lie, either. Ever since waking up his first thought was going back to sleep and regaining some energy. His chest hurt along with his stomach, a dull ache that wouldn’t go away. 

Thankfully, his friends seemed to understand and backed off, placing the snacks back in the bag and leaving it next to Jack’s chair. They bid him farewell, Angela promising she’d be back tomorrow during her break. 

And so he was left alone in his room, sun gone to the moon and darkness exposing the stars. Gabe counted the stars for a while, trying to find the constellations until a nurse came in. “Your nightly medicine,” she informed him before administering it. “Should help prevent infection and such,” she explained and he nodded, prepared to ask for more details until exhaustion washed over him. He sank back into his pillows, an understanding smile on the nurse’s face. “Do you require anything, Mr Reyes?” she asked, and he gave a groggy shake of his head before she left. 

Gabe knew he should stay awake and interrogate Jack, ask him why he left and what was going on. But sleep pulled at him, taking him away from his anxiety and fears. He didn’t even notice the fingers intertwining with his own, only briefly catching bright blue eyes before falling asleep. 

* * *

 

Jack was pissed. No, Jack was furious. There was no way Amari would drug Gabe with the highly confidential and dangerous steroid Jack was too familiar with. She was a close friend of Gabe’s, set in her ways and bowing to no one. She would not betray him, and she would not endanger the life of an innocent man. 

There was only one explanation: the Military. 

He stalked through the hallways to try and find decent enough cell service so he could make a call to the necessary people and demand for answers, but he didn’t need to. He turned the corner to find the men in question waiting for him. 

With a growl Jack approached them, hands clenched into fists and a scowl on his face. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? Targeting innocent civilians now? This is violating the Constitution!” he hissed, and the men did not even appear phased. They looked the same as they always did; composed, eloquent and dangerous. 

“You know as well as any informed personnel that this program is exempt of the Constitution, instead following its own rules,” one man said, and Jack clenched his jaw, knowing that damn well. He put his hands on his hips, shaking his head. 

“But why Gabe?” he demanded, and the men looked at each other. 

“He is a candidate for a new method of our program, and is apart of a test group,” they informed him, and Jack laughed, appalled. 

“You can’t do that. You don’t have his consent,” Jack said, confused as to their motivations and their reasons. 

The other man who rarely spoke reached into a suitcase, and he felt deja vu at the situation. He assumed it would be another consent form, but he was proven wrong as he was handed a packet of a new law. “What is this?” he asked the men. 

“A new law upholding the legality of this new program.”

Jack read over the packet, still in the dark as to what this new program was. “New program?” he asked, unsure if he wanted the answer. But if this involved Gabe, it involved him. After all, he had told the fucking hospital they were married in Vermont. 

“As of today, we can now officially test on unsuspecting subjects the effects of our new drug, Pagoda. And the first test subject of many is Gabriel Reyes, codename Reaper.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well i hope you enjoyed this chapter, and some things have become a bit more clear to you readers ! i love keeping you guys hooked haha   
> if you enjoyed this, leave KUDOS!!!   
> if you REALLY enjoyed this, leave a COMMENT!!!  
> any comments make me happy :)   
> thank you all for reading !!!   
> have a great day/night !!!!   
> <3 <3 <3


	6. Hospital Musings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabe deals with his recovery while making some panicking revolutions.   
> Also known as,   
> PANIC! At the Hospital

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay first of all... i hate this chapter. i hate hate hate it. it feels awfully written and boring and weak. so i consider this more of a filler- there's barely ANY action, and instead more suspense i guess. it establishes a new character, and expands the problem Gabe and Jack are experiencing.   
> BUT...  
> I HAVE TO THANK YOU ALL FOR THE FEEDBACK!!! i was amazed by how many comments and kudos i got on that last chapter, which is probably one of my favorite chapters that i've written.   
> i love reading your comments and are always happy to see your feedback !!!   
> so i hope u enjoy this chapter even tho it isnt intense and gripping!   
> thanks for reading frends!!!

In movies, time spent in the hospital usually was made out to be quick. One shot spent on the victim recovering and dwelling on their experience, and the next showed the victim getting into a car and returning home, mulling over their life and what it’d come to. But, as always, real life was nothing like the movies. 

Gabe spent a good week and a half in the hospital, much to his increasing displeasure. It wasn’t an enjoyable week either. He was placed under intense fasting, getting all his nutrients from an I.V. He felt as though he were some plant on Jack’s farm or some shit, which wasn’t as nice as it seemed. 

The first two days in which Gabe was hospitalized consisted of waking up to Jack passed out on the chair next to him, only awakening after a few pokes and saying “I’m fine, I’m fine” even though he was far from it. There were deep bags underneath his eyes, and the smiles he provided were forced and fake. At first Gabe felt bad for doing this to Jack, but after apologizing under his breath Jack had snapped. 

“Jesus, Gabe, I’m not mad at you!” he’d hissed, turning from the window to look at him with frustration, anger and worry evident in his eyes. The coffee in his hand spilled onto his shirt, earning a few more swears as he rushed to the sink in the attached bathroom. “It’s just...stressful right now, okay?” 

Gabe wondered if he added to the stress before coming to the conclusion that, ‘no shit I’m stressing him out I’m in the fucking hospital’. But if his conclusion was correct, Jack did nothing to show it. He slept in the same damn chair every night, disappearing only from 9 in the morning to 8 at night. He even made sure to not bring food around him in fear of pissing him off by tempting him with what he couldn’t have. 

Every day, however, Jack got worse. The first day in which he returned from ‘work’ he was tired, sleeping soundly through the entire night. But as the week progressed, Jack began to wake up more and more each night. It’d finally climaxed to Jack waking up Gabe by screaming and hitting the heart monitor, and Gabe damn near pissed himself. 

Even though he couldn’t stand up he’d been trying to swing his legs over the side of the bed to check on Jack, who ran into the bathroom in shame. There was the sound of the sink for ten minutes, hushed muttering and loud curses. Gabe had the flats of his feet on the cold tile when Jack finally opened the bathroom door, scolding Gabe for trying to stand. His doctors had instructed that he be in bed rest until there was no threat of infection or whatever else the doctor’s said with their fancy terms and shit. 

And then Jack stopped sleeping in the hospital room. At first Gabe just thought he had to go to work early, but after the third day of waking up alone with no soft snoring to his side, he’d realized Jack had fled. Something had set him off, and Gabe was sure it was the nightmare he’d experienced. 

It didn’t take before Gabe became bored. He was so bored that he watched an entire season of both Oprah and Ellen. Hell, he’d even gotten Disney’s show schedule memorized, telling his nurse that the new Disney shows ‘sucked ass’. She’d laughed while shaking her head, propping a hand on her hip with a glint in her eyes. “You’re that bored?” she asked him, and he gave her a ‘no shit’ look. 

“I even watched My Little Pony. I’m desperate,” he told her, and she gasped dramatically. 

“My Little Pony! Oh dear god! Whatever shall you do?!” she shrieked, and Gabe rolled his eyes with a good fashioned smile. He had gotten lucky with his nurse, however. Her name was Sombra, and they often spoke in Spanish to each other and raved about their favorite novelas. She made it more bearable for him in Jack’s absence. 

“I think I’ll go insane,” he admitted, and he wasn’t lying. Gabe had a serious case of cabin fever going on. Sombra watched him for a few moments before smirking, looking behind her as though she was being watched. 

“Well...if you’re going insane then maybe…” She bit her lip, practically shaking from excitement. Gabe raised an eyebrow as she raised her index finger to excuse herself, darting out of the room for a few moments. Reyes was understandably confused until she returned with a wheelchair in hand. 

“Oh fuck yes,” he said, and she grinned. 

“You ready?” she asked, and Gabe smirked, cracking his knuckles. 

“Never been readier.” 

* * *

 

Now, Gabe had never thought that his life would be brought to this point, a point in which a nurse was pushing him at astounding speeds in a wheelchair. He was certain she could get fired, but if Sombra cared she didn’t care. “I know their schedules and I know where the cameras are,” she whispered to him, and he asked her if she was a ninja. “Better.” Gabe didn’t know what was better than a ninja, but apparently it was Sombra in all her stealthy glory. 

Gabe wasn’t fat by any means, but he was very, very muscley after all his years of training in BMX. To pull off the tricks he did, you needed to be able to hold yourself up and manipulate your body as necessary. Muscle weighed quite a bit more than fat, and so he suspected that Sombra, who was rather frail, would have trouble but man, was he wrong. 

As soon as the hallway was empty, Sombra’s evil laughter echoed loudly and Gabe was off. He feared for his life for a few moments before realizing hey, fuck it. “YOLO!” as Angela would yell to try and fit in with the customers. Gabe whooped with Sombra, who was laughing hysterically. 

He made a mental note to write a note to Top Gun so they could experiment and see how fast a wheelchair could really reach. Gabe was fairly certain it reached at least 10 mph, and that was only when they reached the end of the somewhat short hallway. They marked up the floor as Sombra stopped Gabe, twisting him to turn and face the other hallway. There were a few nurses staring at them with wide eyes before they all simultaneously cheered too. 

“Who wants to play Mario Kart?” Sombra asked, and one short doctor approached them from a room at the beginning of the hallway. Gabe’s heart essentially stopped for a few moments at the sight of a doctor, certain Sombra would lose her job. But Sombra nearly waved to him, and he took off his glasses, looking at her and him with approving eyes. 

“Is that the wheelchair I commissioned for you?” he asked her, and she shook her head. 

“Sorry! I couldn’t find it in time. You know how tight the schedule is around here,” she told him and he sighed, nodding. “Maybe later, though,” she mused, and Gabe looked over at her with demanding, alight eyes. He hadn’t felt that alive since when he felt like he was dying in the cafe, puking up his intestines. Sombra giggled again. “Definitely later, then.”

Some of the other nurses asked what time and Sombra told them the ‘usual time’, which made Gabe somewhat concerned that this was a common occurrence. How had they not gotten caught? He wasn’t complaining as it gave him something to think about when Sombra helped him back into his bed, checking his vitals. 

“What happened to your boyfriend?” she casually asked him as she switched out his I.V fluids, practically sending him into cardiac arrest. His face went bright red and she laughed loudly, a sound Gabe had become accustomed to. Someone so happy would usually annoy him, like Lena did, but Sombra was deviously happy, clever and reckless. Lena was optimistically happy, reminding him to do good things every other minute. 

“Uh, he’s not my boyfriend,” he choked and Sombra waggled her eyebrows at him. 

“Sure, and I’m not hispanic,” she joked and he rolled his eyes. Sombra, however, would not let it go, sitting in Jack’s chair and crossing her legs on the bed. “I got time,” she said, checking the watch on her hand before folding her hands in her lap. 

Gabe furrowed his eyebrows. “Don’t you have, uh, other patients?” he asked her, and she nodded, grabbing her clipboard. She hummed to herself as she flipped through the attached papers. 

“Hmm, yes. But Mr Evans doesn’t need his bedpan replaced for another thirty minutes. Man has a bladder made of steel,” she told him and Gabe sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Why did everyone think he and Jack were involved? Sure, Jack was an amazing guy with a beautiful smile and bright blue eyes. He was considerate and caring, but also a little shit who liked to make a fool out of Gabe in public. And Gabe totally wanted to kiss him but that was besides the point. 

“Jack and I have nothing going on,” he told her, and Sombra gave him a pointed look before reaching for a magazine, flipping open. She tsked him, shaking her head. 

“That’s a shame. You’re a good guy and he’s so gay for you,” she sighed and Gabe ignored the heat in his cheeks. He was ruining his tough guy persona, dammit. 

“He’s straighter than a pole,” he joked. 

“You can bend poles, Gabe.”

“Then he’s as straight as a ruler.” 

“You can break a ruler in half, creating a jagged surface, Gabe.”

“As straight as a-”

“Circle?”

“Yes! Wait, no!” 

Sombra threw her head back with a loud laugh. “Man, you are  so fucked up,” she sighed with a soft smile on her face. She patted his knee. “Listen, Gabe, don’t think you can’t have feelings, because I can assure you you’re one of the most emotional people I’ve met. And that’s a good thing. Don’t let Jack get away. He really cares about you,” she assured him, looking him dead in the eyes. Gabe looked away, embarrassed. Sombra checked her watch one last time before getting to her feet, bidding farewell and leaving Gabe alone to his thoughts. 

Maybe Jack did care about him. And maybe Gabe cared about him too. But until he figured out what Jack’s not so secret job was, he couldn’t commit. Jack could be dangerous, and Gabe could get more tangled in whatever web had been weaved. If he was going to get tangled, he needed to know what he was up against. He wouldn’t let himself be a helpless fly for the spider to feed on. 

* * *

 

It was around 8 pm when Sombra returned, bags under her eyes yet a smile still on her face. In her hands was a wheelchair, but this time the wheels looked bigger with a rim of some sort. Whoever that doctor was was clearly talented when it came to building, and was friends with Sombra if he let her borrow it. 

She helped him into the wheelchair, briefly letting him test out if he could walk before deciding that no, no he can not. That’d earned a few brief whines from Gabe until she hushed him, escorting him out of his room. “We have to pass through a few places before reaching the race track,” she explained to him, and Gabe gave her a confused look. 

“Are you telling me that here in the hospital you have a fucking  _ racetrack _ ?” he asked her and she nodded as though it were nothing. 

“It’s in the older part of the building, where they’re too lazy to install cameras and all the old people are. Everyone’s usually bored, and some of the older residents like to race too,” she explained and Gabe shook his head, barely capable of believing how surreal this felt. He was going to race the elderly in wheelchairs in a hospital, his nurse pushing him. 

If Jack found out, he would probably spontaneously combust. 

And so Sombra and Gabe rolled off onto their journey, passing through some hallways to reach their destination. In all honesty, Gabe didn’t really mind that it took a while to reach the racetrack. He enjoyed getting out of his room in general and seeing what was going on around him. His phone wasn’t allowed in the hospital, and so he was deprived of people and excitement. 

And excitement he got. 

Just a few minutes after setting off, there was yelling down the hallway they’d just pulled into. Sombra tensed as a man yelled “Code blue!”, patting Gabe’s shoulder and telling him to stay put. Other nearby doctors and nurses ran to help, and so the hallway was deserted except the one room full of all personnel. Gabe frowned while he watched them, wondering if someone was dying until his wheelchair was grabbed and pulled into a patient’s room. 

Fear seized him and he turned to yell at whoever had just abducted him until a hand wrapped around his mouth. He reached to pull of the hand until he was violently swiveled around to face his perpetrator. Gabe expected it to be some mental ward patient but instead he was greeted with the girl from the doctor’s office with pink hair, now short and jagged. Her once flawless face held a scar, one that looked intentional. 

“What the hell?” Gabe hissed and she pressed a finger to her lips, silencing him. 

“I’m not here to hurt you,” she told him, accent making a word here and there a bit difficult to understand. 

Gabe snorted. “Really?  Because you just fucking abducted me,” he hissed, prepared to push her back and roll out of there as fast as his hands could push. 

But Russian girl looked apologetic, expression sorry before her words were. “I know, and I am sorry. But there was no other way to speak to you,” she explained, and Gabe understood. There was no way for patients to interact with each other than the illegal races hosted by bored nurses who had too much free time. And based on the wounds Russian girl had, she wouldn’t be joining them any time soon, even if he asked Sombra. “I’m here to warn you,” she told him. 

Gabe threw his head back with a loud groan, sick of the suspense and drama he was enduring. He thought since he nearly just died God would cut him a break and let him relax, but clearly he thought wrong. Why did the Russians always show up randomly? “Another threat?” he presumed and she frowned, looking behind him nervously. 

“No, I never meant to threaten you, only warn you,” she told him, voice quick. Who knew how long the patient who had everyone’s attention would keep dying? 

“Warn me of…?” he trailed off. 

“Of  _ them _ ...of Pagoda,” she hissed, and he furrowed his eyebrows, still as last he ever was. She noticed and growled. “Jack Morrison, your boyfriend-”

“He’s not my boyfriend!”

“Is being forced into their program. They find people, desperate people, and transform them into weapons,” she quickly told him, grip on his shoulders growing harder and harder. His skin began to hurt where she pressed, and he hissed, but she didn’t let up. “They want you. They’re going to get you, like they got me. Don’t let them get you, don’t-”

The alarm that had been echoing throughout the hallway stopped, and she looked up at the ceiling with wide eyes. She let go of him, and Gabe was ready to back wheel out of there until she pointed to the scar on her face. “They did this to me,” she whispered, voice raw and broken. The look in her eyes was the same that Jack wore after waking up screaming; terrified and resigned to the fate in which they had been forced to withhold. “What will they do to you?” she asked before spinning him around and pushing him out into the hallway. 

Gabe turned around to look back at the woman, but she was lying in her bed on her side. There was essentially no proof of their exchange besides Gabe’s wide eyes and white knuckles. His heart was racing, and he looked up to see if Sombra was coming back. He wasn’t in the mood for a race after that exchange, and when she came out of the room with tired eyes and an exhausted smile he could tell she wasn’t either. 

“Did they survive?” he asked her as she turned him around, and she looked down at her feet. 

“No,” she told him in a quiet voice. “No they didn’t.”

* * *

That night, Gabriel couldn’t sleep. Even with his medicine, the woman’s words haunted him. The look in her eyes was all he saw when he finally dozed off, jerking awake with goosebumps and a cold sweat. All he could think about was what Pagoda was, how Jack was related and if the new information tied anything together. 

The idea of Jack being...transformed to the project’s ideals was scary. It implied that the Jack he knew would someday be completely different from their experiments and his experiences. Would he remember to never eat Gabe’s yogurt? Hell, would he  _ stop  _ eating his yogurt? Having more yogurt would be nice but it seemed wrong for Jack to listen to the rules. 

Gabe supposed he wasn’t the only person bothered that night when Jack entered into the room, surprised to see him awake. He looked awful; cheeks sunken, lips thin and eyes tired. But that smile he provided was the same damn one, brightening the blue of his eyes to the point where he looked normal, happy even. “Shouldn’t you be asleep?” he asked Gabe as he sat down next to him with a deep sigh, rubbing at the back of his neck. 

“Shouldn’t you?” Gabe retorted and Jack smirked at his snarkiness. 

“You seem better,” Jack replied, and Gabe wished that was true. Physically, Gabe was fine. But mentally, he was all sorts of fucked up. His thoughts were racing, his stomach was churning and the anxiety he’d been fighting with ever since first seeing the Men in Black was back. Maybe that woman was insane, and Gabe kept trying to tell himself that so he could cope with the fear he felt. But the woman was also right. She looked like Jack did, and he knew better than to run from the truth. 

“Jack…” Gabe started, and said man looked at him with guilty eyes, almost confirming Gabe’s fears right then and there. He swallowed roughly, trying to find the words that were necessary. “Are you...okay?” he asked, and Jack smiled, looking from Gabe’s face to the sky. 

“I should be the one asking you that,” he joked, and Gabe rolled his eyes. 

“I’m fine,” Gabe told him, although that was partially a lie. He wouldn’t die anytime soon, but a nervous breakdown was in the foreseeable future. “I’m worried about you, though,” he told Jack. 

“Because of the nightmare?”

“Of course because of the nightmare,” Gabe said, almost as though the question were dumb, which it was. Who wouldn’t be worried if someone woke up screaming as though they were a Vietnam war veteran?”

“Just dreamed of you naked,” Jack joked and Gabe flipped him off, lightening the mood as best as they could. “You worry too much, Reyes. I’m a big boy. I can handle my own crops,” he said, and Gabe ignored the farmer-esque dismissal. 

“But didn’t you leave the farm?” Gabe asked and Jack stopped for a moment, considering his housemate’s words. 

“Touche,” he said, leaning back in his chair, smiling. “Stop worrying about me, though. You need your sleep or else you’ll stay here longer.” Gabe shuddered at the thought, and he was ready to push Jack for more information but was interrupted by Sombra entering. 

“Gabe! You’re not supposed to be asleep!” she hissed, a frown on her face. Gabe rolled his eyes. 

“Whatever. I’ll sleep when I’m dead,” he said and she gave him a pointed look, hand on her hip. 

“You are in a hospital, you know. We can make that happen,” she threatened and Gabe seemed to consider it for a moment before Jack slapped him on the arm. 

“Watch it! I’m a weak man! I’ll vomit blood on you!” Gabe hissed and Jack laughed, looking to Sombra with bright eyes. 

“Got anything to make him sleep? I need the quiet,” he asked her and she nodded. 

“What?! You can’t do that! You need my consent!” Gabe yelled, and she shook her head. 

“Actually, doctor’s orders state that if you don’t fall asleep with the first dose, we can administer a second dose. Sleep is very important, Mr Reyes,” she chastised, and he groaned as she injected his medicine into the I.V. Sombra and Morrison were clearly buddies, and she was protecting him from Gabe’s interrogation. 

“I’ll sue,” Gabe sighed as drowsiness pulled him down with a forceful tug, the edges of his sight going black. He yawned, eyes fluttering shut as he dozed off to sleep. 

It felt as though he’d just blinked when he opened his eyes to see the time at 2 in the night, woken by whispering near the bathroom. Gabe was groggy, feeling as though he’d slept through a good century or two. But those voices sounded like Sombra and Jack’s. 

Gabe pulled himself out of sleep, blinking away the spots in his eyes to get a better view of his surroundings. It was darker than before, with the only lights coming from the hallway and bathroom. There were two shadows in the bathroom, confirming Gabe’s suspicions and he sat up. 

“If Pagoda wants him, they will get him, Jack. You know that,” Sombra hissed, and he could see Jack pace in the confines of the small room. 

“It’s not that they want him, Sombra. It’s that they  _ have  _ him!” Jack growled, and Gabe’s blood went cold. How did Pagoda have him? There was no way that they could get access to him unless…

_ When they operated on me,  _ Gabe realized, wide awake. While he was under, they could’ve easily bribed or even put a doctor of their own on the inside. That way, they could’ve done what they wanted. Did that mean they could have put something inside of him? Gabe pressed his hand over his stitches, tempted to rip them out and reach whatever was in him. 

Could they brainwash him? Could they make him into a weapon, like the woman said? 

The unknown had never felt more terrifying than it did then hearing two people who he trusted converse about him without informing him first. He could die, for fucks sake. 

Scarier, did that mean that Jack and Sombra worked with Pagoda? Or did one work with them while the other didn’t? Gabe’s eyes narrowed, considering that theory. He didn’t know Sombra, and so it was more likely that she supported the program. Jack, however, was in their grasp and was under their influence. Ever since he’d gotten tangled with Jack, life was hell. 

Did that mean he had to get away from Jack, from Sombra? What could he do? Drop everything and ride across the border into Canada? If the program was really supported by the government, then there was no escaping it. 

Gabe looked to the window, wondering if he was being watched right then and there. The anxiety he’d been fighting with only increased tenfold at the news, and he could feel a panic attack coming on. He tried to focus his breathing, but the panic only became more powerful. 

Before he knew it or could even stop it, he was gasping and wheezing, It felt as though he couldn’t breathe, like there was no air. He was drowning, he was sure of it. In the distance he could hear the heart monitor beeping rapidly, seeing Sombra and Jack rush back into the room with wide eyes. “Shit!” Sombra yelled, hitting a button. She peaked out of the room for moment, yelling something as Jack rushed forward. 

“Reyes?!” he hissed, and Gabe took his hand from his chest to jut in Jack’s face with a proud middle finger. Fuck Jack Morrison and his fucking secret program. Fuck Jack Morrison for eating all his goddamn yogurt. And just...fuck Jack Morrison. 

A few nurses rushed back in besides Sombra, who looked in Reyes eyes with obvious concern. He moved his hand from Jack’s face to hers. Fuck Sombra, too. She didn’t take him on a fucking race and instead let him fall into the clutches of a pink haired Russian. 

Gabe distinctly heard her yell for some medicine, and he could suddenly breathe. He stopped gasping, hand dropping from the air to his side. A familiar need to sleep washed over him as his eyes fluttered, heart monitor beeping steadily now. Sombra sighed in relief, placing a hand on Jack’s shoulder. 

“They won’t like one prone to panic attacks,” she said in Spanish, and Jack shook his head, dropping back down into the chair. 

“Comer mi culo,” Gabe whispered before he fell into a deep sleep. 

* * *

 

Gabe woke up to an empty room at 10 in the morning, and made a decision.

This was his body, and this was his life. 

Not Pagoda’s, not the government’s; his. 

And so he would fight it, even if it killed him. 

...As soon as he could pee on his own, anyways. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you enjoyed this, PLEASE LEAVE KUDOS!!!  
> leave your thoughts!!! COMMENT!!  
> THANKS FOR READING!!!  
> have a great day/night!!!  
> <3 <3 <3


	7. Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finally learn what Pagoda wants, and why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, here's a big chapter! It was 10 pages long, so idk if you consider that big or what, but the importance of this chapter is crucial.   
> i really hope you guys like the plot i've created. i decided i wanted this plot to not focus on the omnic crisis as it did in the original overwatch lore, considering this is modern and everything. with that in mind, i wont spoil anything for you! i want you as the reader to figure out what the fanfic is all about.   
> also, i wanna thank you all for the great feedback i got last chapter. even tho i hated the chapter you guys made me feel pretty good about it. thanks for that guys ! i love u all so much <3 <3 <3   
> i hope you enjoy this chapter !!! thank you for reading!!!

Gabe practically cried when Sombra told him three days after his panic attack that he would be going him the next day. She had a wild grin on her face, but he could see the sadness in her eyes. He felt pretty special if a nurse was gonna miss him despite how difficult he was and how often he complained. But in all honesty, he was gonna miss her too. Sombra had made his stay at the hospital somewhat bearable, even if she possibly worked for the program that was trying to make him into some robot super soldier. 

At first, Gabe wondered if he was going to become Captain America, and he decided that if he became Captain America, being a super soldier wouldn’t such as hard. Jack could be his Bucky, Sombra his Black Widow, cowboy was Iron Man, and the rest of the Avengers had yet to be found. But then Gabe remembered how Corrupt S.H.I.E.L.D was and decided that yeah, he would pass. 

After the panic attack, no one had brought it up. Instead, he saw the worry and question in the eyes of Jack and Sombra whenever they stopped by. Gabe wondered if they knew of his awareness during their conversation, and came to the conclusion that yeah, they probably did. If Sombra didn’t, then Jack did he was kinda become Captain America. Which would make him Bucky...who died and was brought back as a brainwashed weapon…

Gabe decided to stop comparing himself to people who kept dying with that thought. 

In all honesty, Gabe couldn’t think of Sombra as some elusive, deadly soldier who worked for Pagoda. Her smile was too soft, her character too brash and reckless. But maybe that’s what Pagoda programmed her to be like; trustworthy. After all, trusting the wrong people was more dangerous than a gun or knife. 

“So, any way you’d like to celebrate your last day here?” she asked him after checking his vitals, sitting down in Jack’s chair with that mischievous smile he’d grown accustomed to. 

Gabe thought for a few moments, wondering what he and Sombra could get away with in their final hours together. They could go racing, but just doing that would be rather boring. He might as well fuck up the god awful place before escaping its grasp. “A few ideas,” he started, and Sombra nodded with delight. 

“That’s the Gabe I know,” she commented, and he cracked his knuckle and neck in order to prepare. 

“First…”

* * *

 

“BINGO!” Sally called out with her weak voice, and Gabe growled under his breath, looking to her husband, William. 

“What the fuck? She’s gotten the last four BINGOs!” he hissed to the old man and he shrugged, shaking his head. “Can you even cheat at BINGO?” he asked, and the woman across from Gabe sighed loudly. 

She took a drag from her cigarette, clearly off her BINGO board. “Sally is the spawn of Satan,” she commented and William snorted. 

“ _ Just  _ that spawn of Satan? I’d at least compare her to Baal if not Lucifer himself, Susan,” William said and Susan nodded before filling in a blank spot on her board as a new number was called. Sally sat back down next to Gabe with a smirk on her face, and he pointed a finger at her. 

“I will beat you,” he hissed to her and she leaned back with pride in her eyes. 

“Try me, sonny. I’m the champion in this hospital,” she retorted, filling in a spot on her board. 

“Only because you’ve been here longer than anyone else,” Gabe grumbled and smoke was blown in his face. He waved it away with an angry, “What the fuck Susan?” 

Susan looked away innocently, but a quiet, “I’ve been here the longest, thank you very much” was heard from her. 

“Shut the hell up, Susan. We all know William is the oldest resident after my failed assassination attempts,” Sally bickered, and William rubbed at his temples. 

“Because you’re best friends with Satan who knows you’re my hell,” William said, almost to himself. Gabe couldn’t agree more with him before cheering loudly, raising his hand. 

“BINGO!” he called, earning a number of groans from everyone around him. Sally narrowed her beady little eyes and he leaned forward. “Eat shit, bitch,” he hissed, and Sally rolled her eyes. 

Gabe walked up to the person who was calling the numbers and took his prize which was…

“A fucking pencil?” he asked, and Sombra smiled. 

“Just for you.”

A loud laugh came from behind him, and Gabe spun around pointing at Sally. “Shut it, bitch. Or else I’ll make sure your bedpan isn’t changed for a week.”

Sally was quiet for the rest of the game. 

* * *

 

Second…

It was more difficult to find a phone Gabe could use than you would think. Patients were allowed no phones so there was no way to bribe a fellow patient, and doctors and nurses weren’t allowed to have on on the job either. So that left one last option; Visitors. 

Gabe wasn’t allowed out into the waiting room where visitors sat, and even if Sombra snuck him out they would be suspicious. So after explaining his idea to Sombra, she sighed with a small smile on her face and agreed to go with his mission. 

After all, she was a lot more stealthy than Gabe could ever hope to be, even if he was a super soldier in training. 

He had no idea as to what happened while he waited in his room, reading a magazine while watching Oprah. Sombra told him it could take up to thirty minutes, and if she wasn’t back in an hour then to announce her M.I.A. Gabe hoped it wouldn’t come to that, and he was pleased to see her back with a two big boxes in hand, a smirk on her face. “Delivery for Gabriel Reyes,” she called, and he laughed. 

“You did it?!” he asked although he knew the answer. The details were missing, however, and he was curious how Sombra pulled it off. 

She set down the boxes on a nearby table before wrapping Gabe into a clean suit, which was necessary for where they would be visiting. “Well, after telling a woman of our plan she said she would order two boxes instead of one,” Sombra said and Gabe was surprised. 

“Wait, so you’re telling me there are some good people left in this world? I would’ve never guessed,” he mockingly replied and Sombra patted his head. 

“Just because you’re a shitty person doesn’t mean everyone else is, Gabe,” she said in a motherly voice, earning his hand smacking her away. Sombra laughed loudly before giving the boxes to Gabe and rolling him to the Oncology ward. When Gabe asked her if she could get in trouble for this, Sombra shrugged. “If I get fired for being nice to people with cancer then so be it. Besides, I’m friends with the head of Oncology,” she dismissed, and Gabe believed her. 

Who was she not friends with?

The first kid who saw Gabe with a box full of donuts screamed loudly while throwing his hands in the air, and Gabe was sure he was Jesus Christ based on how happy the kid looked. Hell, he even gave Gabe a hug, which earned a few giggles and winks from Sombra. He quickly became a hit sensation in the Oncology ward as kids wanted to see the cool “Wheelchair Superhero”, who apparently ran people over and could crash you into a wall. 

He’d gotten plenty of hugs in the hour it took to deliver all the donuts, and one kid even looked at him with wide eyes, a toothy grin and whispered, “Mr, you’re my hero!” Gabe couldn’t help but feel pretty damn good about himself at that, messing up the kid’s hair with a great big grin. If Sombra had her phone, she would’ve snapped at picture just for Jack to see. 

“What next, hero?” Sombra asked as Gabe ate the last of the donuts, wheeling him back to his room. He looked up at her with the corners of his lips twisting upwards, a ghost of a smirk visible. Sombra caught his drift and cracked her knuckles. 

* * *

 

Third…

Gabe had never suspected he would be spending a day in a hospital racing his elderly friends whom he’d played Bingo with earlier that day, but then again he’d never thought the government would want to turn him and his friends into super soldiers. But here he was, being pushed by a cackling Sombra throughout the elder’s ward as patients and nurses cheered them on. 

Hell, there was even a betting pool going on started by Susan, who merely sat there with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth and an approving smile on her face. 

The wheelchair they’d been using for casual trips around the hospital had been ditched for the one issued by Sombra’s doctor friend, who said his name was Torbjorn. No matter how many times Gabe tried to say his name, he ultimately failed, taking to calling him a dwarf. His face often turned red from anger and he could practically see steam coming off of him, but it was funny, so fuck it, amirite? 

Sombra and Gabe were currently in second place, trailing behind Sally and a Brazilian man named Lucio. Lucio was ridiculously fast and quick on his feet, dodging the donuts Gabe had hidden and kept throwing. “Haha! Can’t keep up?!” Lucio called out mockingly, and Gabe looked up to Sombra, who understood the look in his eyes. 

“Comer mi culo!” she yelled as she rushed forward, Gabe throwing a number of donuts at Lucio. 

“DIE, DIE, DIE!” he yelled and Lucio spun the wheelchair out, crashing onto his ass. 

“Aw, dammit!” Lucio yelled as Sally flipped Gabe off. 

Gabe turned back to face where Sombra and him were going. “Did I really just spin out Lucifer’s best friend?” he asked Sombra, who proudly patted his back. 

“I’m so proud of you son,” she jokingly cried as they neared the finish line. What neither of them expected, however, was Morrison at the finish line, hands on his hips and eyes narrow. Sombra stopped dead in her tracks, and Gabe almost went flying but managed to plant his feet on the ground to keep him front doing parkour he was not trained for. “Shit,” Sombra whispered as Jack took a step forward. 

Gabe looked around them in fear before seeing Torbjorn and William approching quickly. He took the emergency donut from Sombra’s coat pocket and threw it under their wheelchair’s wheel, making them spin out. William, however, didn’t seem to care that they spun out as they crossed the finishing line, throwing his hands up. “Haha! I beat you, Sally! Suck my cross!” he yelled as he shoved his necklace of a Cross towards her as though she were possessed. Gabe laughed before seeing that she did shrank away in fear. 

“Oh my god. First Morrison, and now a possessed old lady,” he hissed, and Sombra began to run away with wheelchair in hand. 

“Which one is worse?” she asked him and Gabe thought for a moment. 

“Satanic old lady, or Morrison?” he paused. “Morrison,” he said, and Sombra made a noise of agreement. 

“Reyes!” Jack yelled, and Sombra giggled to herself. 

“Dude, he’s gonna be so pissedm,” she laughed loudly, and Gabe smirked. 

“I know,” he said happily, and he looked over to see her face twist from a grin to disgust. 

“Ew, are you two gonna have angry sex?” she asked, and Gabe smacked her in the arm, and she went back to giggling. 

And so the two sped off, an angry farmer hot on their ass in not the way Reyes wanted. 

* * *

 

“I cannot believe you two,” Jack hissed the next day as he rolled Gabe down to the lobby so they could finally leave. Sombra walked besides them, a large smile plastered on her face. The two were still giddy from their race, and had locked Jack out of Gabe’s room that night so that way farmer boy could cool down and relax. 

“Awe, don’t be like that, Jack,” Sombra giggled, and Jack gave her a nice side eye in response. That only added to Sombra’s giggles and the smirk on Gabe’s face. “I think we upset old man,” she joked, punching Jack’s arm. 

“I’m not old,” Jack replied.

“Could’ve had us fooled,” Gabe mumbled, and Jack shot him a look. 

Despite the humor of the situation, Gabe was kinda bummed out. He felt somewhat safe at this place, despite his panic attack and possible implantation of a device in him when the doctors decided to save his life. Even if Sombra was apart of Pagoda, she made him feel okay, like he wasn’t being watched every minute of his stay at the hospital.

Even if the stay had been boring as hell for the most part, Sombra had made it bearable. He was going to miss her. 

Jack parked him by a couple of chairs people usually sat at to wait, and told him he’d be back in a few after checking him out. “Don’t you like, have to be related to me to do that?” Gabe asked him, and Sombra grew an evil grin on her face. 

“He is your husband, Reyes,” she giggled in a sing song voice, and Jack threw his hands up in the air with a loud groan.

“I didn’t mean it! It was the only thing I could think of!” he hissed as he stalked off. Gabe looked at Sombra with amused eyes, and was surprised to see her watching Jack walk away with narrowed eyes and thin lips. She felt Gabe’s eyes on her, and she looked to him, worried. She quickly sat next to Gabe in a chair, pulling out a notepad from her coat pocket. 

“I can’t say much, Gabe. But you’re a good man. You don’t deserve your fate,” she whispered, and Gabe felt confusion bubble and boil in his chest. Now Sombra was acting weird. Great. He was ready to groan and tell her to fuck off before she grabbed his hand, getting his attention. The look in her eyes was nothing like her; haunted, terrified and...caring. “I’m not one of them. I was, and they still think I am with them. But I’m not,” she told him, and he frowned. 

“How can I trust you?” he asked her. 

She bit her lip in thought before pulling up the sleeve on her right arm. A tattoo was on her wrist, barely visible, but she pulled out an ultraviolet flashlight in her coat. Sombra switched it on, and a beautiful drawing/tattoo was revealed. It was a shadow with bright white, human eyes. They resembled hers. Underneath the eyes was a barcode, along with a long series of numbers. “It’s my identification. Because of it, I can never get away,” she told him, voice desperate. 

“Can I?” Gabe asked her. 

Sombra watched him for a few moments before shaking her head, pulling back down her sleeve. “They already have you. I don’t know how, Gabe, but they do. But there’s something coming...something that’ll shut them down. A new program…” she whispered, trailing off. She shook her head. “I don’t know the details, Gabe. I really don’t. But we will destroy Pagoda. Slowly, but surely.”

“We?” he asked her, and Sombra’s eyes softened. She opened her eyes, ready to answer when she heard Jack say goodbye. Sombra looked behind her and sat up. 

“This is my number. I’ll find you, Gabe. And once it’s safe, you can escape,” she squeezed his hand with her signature smile. “We can escape. You, Jack and I.” Sombra stuffed the paper into Gabe’s waistband before getting to her feet. Jack glared at her and she crossed her arms, leaning onto the chair. “How’d it go? Did you show them your wedding rings?” she joked and Jack flipped her off. 

“Fuck off, Sombra. Come on, Gabe. Do you think you can walk?” Jack asked him, and Gabe nodded. 

Sombra stayed put though, studying her nails. “I think no, hence why I am staying right here in case Gaybe here bites it,” she told them, and elbowed Jack while waggling her eyebrows. “Hey, he’s wearing the gown. Get a nice view,” she giggled, winking at Jack who merely rolled his eyes. 

Gabe slowly got to his feet, prompting sharp, stinging pains in his skin from the lack of activity they’d received for the past week and a half. He laughed as he stood up, turning to flaunt his amazing powers to Jack until a wave of nausea hit him. “Oh fuck,” he groaned, and Jack grabbed him, looking at Sombra with annoyed eyes. 

Sombra simply laughed and patted Gabe’s back. “The nausea will pass, along with the lightheadedness. Just need to walk a bit more. I have to go change Sally’s bedpan. Bye!” she said, waving to them both as she turned to leave. Jack sighed loudly. 

“Of course she wouldn’t help,” he grumbled, and Gabe patted Jack’s back. 

“Would you want a girl helping your husband, dear?” Gabe mocked, and Jack let go of him, seeming way too pleased at the sight of Gabe’s ass on the floor. 

* * *

 

Gabe only made it up a few steps with his shaky legs before becoming lightheaded, prompting Jack to pick him up bridal style despite Gabe’s loud protests. “I’m not gonna get another hospital bill for you falling and cracking your dumb head open,” Jack sighed, and Gabe threw his head back with a loud groan. 

Thankfully, no one was nearby to see the humiliating exchange. If anyone had witnessed it, they had seen the bright grin on Jack’s face while Gabe crossed his arms and pouted. Even he couldn’t deny that he needed a bit of help until he could walk without feeling sick. Thankfully, he’d gotten prescription for the nausea, and another one for his trouble sleeping. He hoped this time he wouldn’t nearly die taking it. 

Once Jack and Gabe reached the door to their apartment, Gabe was let down and steadily opened the door. He was stunned when he saw how clean it was; trash taken out, kitchen cleaned and the living room essentially spotless. “Wow, bored?” he asked Jack who had a sheepish smile on his face. 

“I got a little antsy without you keeping me on my feet, or me keeping you off yours,” he joked, and Gabe stopped, turning and shooting him a disgusted look. 

“Awful joke,” Gabe commented and Jack shrugged, stepping by him to take off his coat. 

“Really? I thought it was pretty great,” Jack said, opening his arms wide with a grin on his face. Gabe rolled his eyes, walking over to the fridge. 

“You eat all my yogurt?” he asked Jack, and nearly shit himself when he saw the fridge fully stocked with yogurt. “Christ,” he muttered to himself, counting a good couple dozen. 

“Didn’t feel like being killed,” Jack admitted and Gabe gave him the bird before fishing out a few of his favorite yogurts. He looked like a kid on Christmas morning, unwrapping all the presents to find everything he’d hoped for. 

“Last time I felt this happy was when I lost my virginity,” he whispered, almost to himself in his haze of joy. 

“No wonder why you’re so unhappy then,” Jack mused, and that prompted Gabe throwing a yogurt at him. Of course, Jack blocked with a wink as he dropped to the couch, turning on the television. 

“Is the rest of the house this clean?” Gabe asked Jack, who nodded absentmindedly, leaning forward as some interesting news segment came on. Gabe rolled his eyes at how much of an old man Jack already was before retreating to his room, eager to get his phone and text Sombra, if she could even reply at the moment. 

He opened the door to see his room spotless. None of his clothes that were usually on the floor were scattered around, instead neatly folded in his closet. The drapes he’d hung over all the corners had been folded and stored away onto the shelves in Gabe’s closest, as well. His bed was made, laptop on his nightstand along with his phone. 

Gabe grabbed his phone, turning it on to see a number of text messages, all from his friends. But more specifically, a number of them being from...a man named Mcree? 

_ Howdy partner… Sombra told me about your situation.  _

_ And I know some people who can help. _

_ Once you read this, meet me at the cafe at 7:30 pm _

_ Make sure you’re not being followed _

Gabe frowned. How many more elusive messages would he receive over his lifetime? Hell, he’d just gotten out of the hospital, for fuck’s sake. You’d think he be cut some slack. 

**_Mcree? You mean cowboy?_ **

_ Mighty honored you call me that, partner  _

**_I can’t even walk. How the hell am I supposed to get to the cafe?_ **

_ At 7:20, look outside. Don’t let Jack see you.  _

Gabe threw down his phone with a loud groan, rubbing at his face in stress and worry. What the hell was going on? He’d just gotten home and he was already being thrust back into the chaos of being hunted by the fucking government. He quickly turned back on his phone to see it was 7:15, meaning he had to make a decision. And fast.

But first, why couldn’t he tell Jack? Jack seemed to care about him, unless that was some part of his training. After all, Jack was involved with Pagoda. Sombra had established she was a rogue agent, and even made sure that Jack didn’t know that he was aware of her status. 

Gabe sighed, throwing his head back. 

Jack could not be trusted. 

And since Jack was his ‘husband’ according to the hospital, he would be checking up on him since he was ‘fragile’ and couldn’t walk. He needed time, but how?

Gabe slowly walked to the door, jutting out his head. “I’m gonna be jacking off to some hot chicks having sex. Do not disturb me or you will die,” he called out to Jack, who sighed and threw out a thumbs up in his line of view for confirmation. Gabe closed the door, immensely embarrassed but understanding he could become a brainwashed soldier if he didn’t get help from someone. 

He looked to his phone and saw that it was 7:20, and some lights flashed outside of the apartment. Gabe walked over to his window and peered down, seeing a buff old man on a motorcycle. “Holy shit,” he whispered to himself before grabbing a sweatshirt and opening his window. The man looked up with a wave, and Gabe wondered if he was about to be abducted and held for money. He decided that it wouldn’t be the weirdest thing to happen to him, either. 

With a deep breath, he hoisted himself over the window, ignoring the lightheadedness that came with the action. “Ohh fuck,” he hissed to himself as he was hanging in thin air. “Fuck, fuck, fuck. I’m a BMX champion not a fucking parkour expert,” he gasped. 

“Drop down! I will catch you!” the man whispered to him, barely understandable from the German accent he had. Gabe looked down to see his big, meaty arms underneath him, and decided that if he died or got severely hurt, he could be back with Sombra. She would be pissed, but hey, more races and donuts. 

“Fuck,” Gabe said as he let go, dropping into an old man’s arms within the blink of an eye. He huffed out the breath he hadn’t even known he was holding, laughing from the adrenaline rush he was experiencing. “Holy shit,” he giggled, sounding like a damn school girl. 

The man gently put him down before handing him a motorcycle helmet. “Hurry, put this on. We will be late,” he told Gabe who didn’t even think twice before following German Man’s orders. The man revved the engine of the motorcycle before taking off. 

And that’s how Gabe found himself holding a German Man’s waist while sneaking out of his own apartment. 

It was 7:36 by the time German Man parked outside of the La Griffe, giving a loud laugh and clapping Gabe on the back. The wind was knocked out of Gabe, and he breathlessly laughed along. They were interrupted, however, by a woman peeking out of the dark cafe and waving. 

“Get inside!” she whispered, and Gabe recognized the voice. 

“Lena?” he asked, and she sighed loudly, waving quicker. 

“Yes! Now get inside before you get sniped!” Lena hissed and Gabe rushed in. She giggled at the look on his face with a shrug, closing the door behind German Man. “Just kidding! Worked though!” 

Gabe rolled his eyes and followed German man and Lena into the back of the cafe, where Angela made their overpriced food. To his surprise, Mcree, Lena, German Man, and Torbjorn were in the room with serious expressions on their face. He frowned, looking at them in confusion before someone stepping in from the back door. “Sorry I am late,” a man apologized with a Japanese accent, and Gabe nearly shat himself at the sight of Power Ranger. 

“Holy shit. You’re the guy who destroyed our fucking cafe,” Gabe said, pointing to the Ranger. Lena giggled at his words and the man bowed, saying something in Japanese Gabe hoped was an apology. “Dude, how do you get around? Like, don’t you kinda stick out?” he asked. 

“I move within the shadows, undetected,” he replied, and Gabe nodded, accepting the answer without pushing for a legit answer. He would not be fucking with a Power Ranger, not today, not ever. 

“Anyone else that we’re expecting?” Gabe asked and Lena nodded, checking her phone. 

“She should be here...right now!” she cheered, pointing to the backdoor. However, the door did not open and Lena frowned. “Huh...she said she was-”

“I am right here,” a familiar voice said, and Gabe turned around to see Dr Amari hanging up her coat. Gabe had never felt the anger that he did right then and there seeing the woman who damn near killed him. His hands clenched into fists and within one long stride, he had her pressed against the wall. Amari seemed the tiniest bit surprised, but he did not get the reaction he expected. 

“Who the fuck do you think you are, showing your face like this? You nearly killed me,” he hissed, and she narrowed her eyes. There were hands on his back, trying to pull him away but even after a week and half being in bed, he was stronger than them. But to his surprise, Amari pushed him back, pressing a needle against his neck without puncturing it. 

“Do not try me, Gabriel. I would never kill someone who was not worthy of death,” she told him, and Gabe’s lips tightened into a thin line. 

“What are you gonna do? Poison me again?” he spat and she chuckled without humor, shaking her head. 

“Do you really believe I would poison you in such an inefficient manner? If I wanted to kill you with a prescription, I would have, and not in a way that could be traced to me,” she said, and Gabe bit his tongue, still not believing her. She could see his disbelief and stepped back, reaching into a bag on her side to pull out a folder. She handed it to him, and Gabe flipped through, seeing screenshots of security footage. 

There was one screenshot in which he could see himself and a man on the ground circled in red marker, something on the floor beneath them. He frowned, looking up at her. “I don’t-”

Amari pointed back to the man Gabe didn’t recognize. “This man bumped into you as you were leaving, and while you looked at him when he talked, he switched the prescriptions. He took the one I issued you and swapped it with a duplicate, except he prescribed you Pagoda’s steroids, in which they use to drug and train their super soldiers,” she informed him, and he frowned in amazement. So Amari hadn’t tried to kill him, but Pagoda did. 

“But if they want me, then why did they try to kill me?” he asked her, and Lena’s voice interrupted them. 

“They didn’t wanna kill you, luv. They wanted to see if you were a candidate for their usual program, or something more,” she told him, and he was still confused. What did they want him for? 

“What do they want me for then?” he asked them and they all looked as though there was no answer. 

“We think a new program from inside sources,” Amari provided, but it wasn’t enough. He was already aware he was a candidate for a new program, what did that entail? Would they kidnap him, torture him? Would they do what they did to Jack, or something else? 

Did they already implant something in him? 

“I heard Jack say that they already have me,” he admitted and Amari nodded, looking grave. 

“They do. They have bugged your apartment, and if you risk debugging it then you risk everyone involved, including us,” Amari said as she took a seat in a wooden chair. Lena took a plastic cup and poured tea from a kettle for her, handing her the cup once it was full. Amari took a sip before thanking Lena. “However, they believe they have bugged your computer and phone, yet they have not thanks to Torbjorn,” she said and he looked over to man. 

He looked proud of himself, a smile on his face. “Aye. I installed a program which filters out all content involving us. So they believe they see you doing whatever it is you do, but you are also involved with us, unbeknownst to them,” he bragged and Gabe nodded, impressed with their technology and finesse. 

“Then what’s the power ranger for?” he asked, gesturing to said man. 

“I am not a Power Ranger. I am Genji, a ninja,” Power Ranger sighed and Gabe dismissed him. 

“Whatever. Power Ranger it is,” he said, ignoring Genji’s probably offensive Japanese in response. 

Amari smiled softly, looking far older than she was. “Be nice, Gabriel. Now, this is important,” she sighed, sitting straighter in her chair. “We must not be known, as we risk being destroyed by Pagoda. Our mission is to infiltrate them, as we have done on a smaller but effective scale. We must free their soldiers from their treatment, and offer them sanctuary,” she informed him, eyes serious and showing not trace of her age. She was a soldier, Gabe realized. She was meant to do this, to lead them. 

“But why is there Pagoda?” he asked. 

“It was once run by the military to provide soldiers to spread Democracy throughout the Middle East, as our soldiers were not prepared for the violence and long war. Their soldiers could last longer, and be more effective. And they are. If they die, the U.S has no responsibility for them, which lowers public casualty rate and disguises the horrors of American lives lost. However, terrorists have captured some of their soldiers and adapted to their weaponry. Some rogue soldiers also joined the terrorist groups, utilizing their training against us. I don’t blame them, but I’d rather have them join us,” Amari admitted, and Gabe was horrified, but waited for her to finish. She took a sip of tea, looking haunted. “The U.S has let this go on for far too long, and we will free the soldiers from their fate. As the terrorists grow more advanced and dangerous, Pagoda has made their methods more violent and inhumane while hiding it from the government. However, if we come forward mass panic will ensue and we will be apprehended as traitors.”

“Which is punishable by death,” Gabe whispered, and she nodded. He shook his head, overwhelmed by the information. “But won’t freeing them be treason?” he asked, and she nodded, taking another drink as she thought. 

“Yes, but if we free the soldiers then they can speak out and be safe. If you have enough voices shouting, people will listen, Gabriel,” she murmured, and Gabe bit his lip, sitting down across from her. He dropped his head in his hands, thinking silently. 

“This is crazy,” he said to himself, and Amari nodded, eyes distant as she remembered the horrors she surely endured. 

“I understand how shocking this must be, and I know how scared you must be,” she began, and Gabe shook his head, denying his fear. But she knew better. “No, I saw your fear firsthand. Anyone would be scared. I am still scared,” she assured him, and he frowned, embarrassed. “Do not be ashamed. Even I, who have stared at death for far too long, am afraid. I have not had a bed in years, instead sleeping where I will not be found,” she admitted, and Gabe nodded, wishing for her to continue. “But do not let this fear control you. Do not live in ignorance, because soon you will no longer be Gabriel Reyes, but something darker, something more sinister,” she told him.

* * *

 

Jack looked at the screen, watching the prototype Pagoda had prepared for him. In it, he watched a 3D model disappear into mist, invincible for the time it was no longer human. He shook his head, looking to men who had brought him to the base. 

“What will you make him?” Jack asked, and he looked back to the man who became smoke, almost as though he were a God. 

“Reaper. We shall make him Reaper.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> leave a COMMENT!!!   
> tell me what you thought about this chapter, what you think about the plot. if you don't like it, why? what dont you like and why?   
> if you like the plot or this chapter, tell me why? what do you like about it?  
> also,   
> leave a KUDOS! kudos help keep this fic going !   
> thank you all for reading!!!  
> your support means SOOO much!!!  
> have a great night/day everyone!!  
> <3 <3 <3


	8. Well, Shit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> UH OH SPAGHETTI-OH

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!  
> sorry for not posting for three days. i took some time off to play videogames and watch netflix!  
> it has also come to my attention we have received our first ever submission of FANART FOR THIS FIC!!  
> it is actually my dream to have people drawing fanart for a fanfiction i wrote tbh...it is the highest honor  
> i will link it at the end of the notes!!! huge thank you to lilmistrashqueen for drawing it!!! it put a big grin on my face and i love it so much  
> however, i have some good/bad news??? whatever u wanna consider this news  
> there is one last chapter after this. the story is coming to an end. the next/final chapter will be HUGE!!!  
> it may take a while to finish it tbh.  
> i really hope you guys have enjoyed how far this fic has come. i honestly thought it would just be some fluff and stuff, but me being me, i couldn't help but make a huge plot.  
> so i hope you guys who have read this since the very first chapter are pleased as to where it went. i didnt even know it would come to this point. so we were in this together lmfao  
> that being said, i hope you enjoy this chapter!!!

Gabe threw cold water on his face, trying to wake himself up from the surprisingly pleasant night of sleep he’d received. He felt groggy, weighed down by what felt like 400 tons, but he had no concrete evidence to support that theory as he’d never experienced 400 tons of weight. With a slight chuckle at his hilarity, he patted down his face with a towel before catching a glimpse of himself. 

Or, what was once himself, anyways. 

His skin was pale, deadly pale. Gabe looked like a fucking zombie with that skin color, and his eyes were bloodshot. He looked as though he’d just smoked a fuck ton of weed, and he didn’t remember smoking within the past five years. His breath caught in his throat as he looked closer, catching a glance of his veins popping out. They were a deep, reddish black, pulsing. Gabe pressed his finger against the vein softly, and it disappeared as though nothing had happened. 

“Holy shit,” he whispered to himself, turning around and walking out of the bathroom. Except when he walked out, it wasn’t his apartment. He was in a metal room with computer screens covering the walls, showcasing animations of the human body, helpful tips and so on. Gabe frowned, stepping into the middle of the room and spinning around to try and see everything. 

One screen showed Sombra with the status of DECEASED in bold, red letters. Gabe shook his head, frowning. “What?” he asked himself before catching sight of another familiar face. It was Amari, with the same letters he’d seen on Sombra’s. And then there was… “Jack,” he gasped. Except the picture he saw wasn’t the Jack he knew. He looked terrified, skin bright with sweat and lips thin. Gabe could practically hear his thoughts just looking a them, and they weren’t friendly. He looked like Gabe did in his first mugshot; horrified, disgusted and...resigned. But resigned to what? 

“This isn’t possible,” Gabe told himself, looking around the rest of the room. There was security footage for places in which Gabe had never seen; a long hallway, a parking lot and various rooms that had training equipment in it. There was even a cage of a monkey, by the looks of it. What the fuck was going on? 

Realizing he needed to understand where he was and why, Gabe took a deep breath to calm himself and continued to look at the monitors. There were some familiar faces on some of the other screens without it being proclaimed that they were dead. Mcree’s face was displayed prominently on one with the status of ALIVE in cursive, blue letters. There was another one of Amelie, or Satan as he joked to himself. Both had a paragraph or two about their ‘history’, revealing that Mcree had been saved from some gang he’d gotten into in order to find some place to sleep and get food. Amelie’s history surprised him, informing him that she’d run away from a 

husband in order to be with Lena. He snickered. Of course Lena had charmed her way into the bitch’s heart. Who the hell couldn’t love the happy girl with her optimism and British accent? 

With a smirk on his face, Gabe turned to see his own face on a screen. He didn’t know why he was surprised; he was under Pagoda’s most wanted list. The picture was from when he won his BMX championship in L.A, a youthful grin on his face that made him melancholic. He’d do whatever he could to get back to that day, seeing his mother kissing her cross necklace and crying. Gabe could go home to his favorite meal, feeling on top of the world, like nothing could go wrong.

And now here he was; in an unknown place looking like a fucking zombie. 

His mother would be so pissed. The chancla would be on a direct route to hitting his head if she caught wind of what he’d landed himself into. He cringed at the memories of encounters with his mother’s weapon of choice before reminding himself to stay concentrated. 

Gabe squinted his eyes to see the notes written about him, They described that he was agile, powerful and fast, but often cracked under pressure and was oblivious to his surroundings. There were more pictures taken of him without his knowledge or consent, capturing him riding his bike, watching TV and looking directly at the camera. He frowned upon seeing that picture, figuring that it’d been taken when he’d made eye contact with the Men in Black before puking all over the floor. 

Ahh, the good old days before being poisoned and hospitalized. 

There was a soft beeping from behind him, and Gabe turned to see a man sitting in a chair. He jumped in surprise, eliciting a soft smile from the man who took of his glasses and cleaned them. Gabe frowned, looking behind him and back. “What...uh, you weren’t there when I entered,” he said and the man hummed in acknowledgement of his words, continuing to clean his glasses. 

He finished and put them back on, a warm smile on his face. “No, I was not. But dreams work in mysterious ways, do they not?” he asked Gabe who had more questions than before. He laughed in puzzlement, rubbing at the back of his head. 

“Wait, I’m dreaming?” The man nodded patiently and Gabe itched his chin. “So, are you like, my subconscious?” he asked and the man shook his head, getting to his feet. Gabe watched him carefully, unsure if this was really a dream or some Pagoda test. 

“You are asleep, Gabriel. Yet I am not a part of your mind. I am a real person, a scientist, actually. I work at Pagoda.” The name made the hairs on Gabe’s skin rise, goosebumps prickling his skin as Gabe prepared himself to attack or flee. “Don’t worry. I’m leaving them for the new program, the one that was just recently introduced to you,” he told Gabe who didn’t relax. 

“How can I trust you?” he asked the man, and the man sighed, raising his arms wide to gesture to the screens covering the walls of the room. 

“Look around you, Gabriel. What do you see?” the man exclaimed, and Gabe did what he said. “Information. And he who has information has power,” he hissed, and Gabe turned his gaze back to the man. “I am getting you ready, Gabe. Soon, you will have a decision to make; do you live in pain, or die in glory?” the man asked, and the walls began to bleed away, leaving only Gabe on the tile floor and the man watching him. 

Gabe shook his head, a noise of gunfire and the smell of smoke overwhelming his sense. “I don’t understand!” he yelled over the sounds of war and the man nodded understandingly. “Who are you?!” he demanded and the man took of his glasses, looking at Gabe with a smile. 

“Winston,” he said, and the floor dropped away, leaving Gabe to plummet thousands of feet. He screamed, grabbing for the bits of land he fell past but unable to stop his freefall. Instead, the rock he grabbed broke his skin, blood rushing up into the world he flew by. 

“Fuck you, Winston!” Gabe yelled, and there was a gunshot from above. He looked to find the source, only to find Sombra on a piece of rock a few feet away. She looked at him with wide eyes, mouth opened and yelling something but Gabe couldn’t hear her. “Sombra!” he shouted but she made no sign of hearing him, looking back into the scope of a sniper. 

There was another gunshot, the scope aimed near his head. He yelled at her to stop, but he felt the gunshot pass through his head. It burned and he screamed, grabbing the entry wound with his hands only to feel nothing. He heard himself breathing and gasping heavily, opening his eyes to see he was kneeling on metal floor. “What?” he asked himself, seeing nothing of the infinite sky he’d just been falling through. He was so confused, not even seeing blood on his hands when he’d just been shot through the skull. Gabe shook his head, getting to his feet. 

There was a wet gasp from behind Gabe, and he spun around to see Amari, hands over her right eye. His heart dropped in his stomach, and he ran over, sliding to her side. He grabbed her, hoisting her up onto his lap. “Amari,” he whispered, and she looked at him with sad eyes. 

“Gabe,” she whispered, and he nodded. She grabbed his throat, pulling him closer so she could whisper in his ear. 

“Wake up.” 

* * *

 

Gabe sat up in his bed with a yell, arms in the air fighting back against the phantom force he’d felt in his grasp moments before. There were tears dripping down his face, sweat coating his skin as he sat there, trying to breathe. What the hell had just happened? A dream? 

He ran his hands through his hair, taking a shaky breath to try and calm himself. If it were a dream, it didn’t feel like one, He’d had bad nightmares before, but nothing had compared to that. Everything had felt...real. The floor against his feet, the gunshot and then...Amari dying in his arms. 

He shook his head, rubbing away the insistent tears. Now his tough guy persona was really ruined. Gabe rolled over to turn on his nightstand’s lamp, seeing that it was six in the morning. By the sound of the footsteps, Jack was awake as well, and Gabe hoped he hadn’t woken him up. 

Well, he was wide awake, and Gabe had no chance of falling back asleep after that dream. He kicked off the sweaty blankets he’d tangled himself into and pulled on a pair of sweatpants. 

Upon opening the door, Gabe found himself face-to-face with Jack Morrison, who was dressed in Captain America pajamas. Gabe frowned, ready for a snarky remark but stopped himself upon seeing the cup of coffee in Jack’s hand. “For you,” Jack hastily said, thrusting the cup into Gabe’s hands. 

“Thanks,” Gabe said before sipping some of the drink. Brewed to perfection. He smiled to Jack, but he could tell the expression was forced. As could Jack, who looked concerned. Gabe could imagine what he looked like; eyes bloodshot, hair messy and skin sweaty. If he saw Jack in the same position, he would be concerned too, in the very least. 

The two of them stood there for a few more moments, watching each other with questioning eyes. Gabe could see how Jack was debating asking him if he was okay, or if something was wrong. But it was obvious something was wrong. Gabe probably looked like hell, and Jack wasn’t daft. He had eyes. He wasn’t blind. 

Gabe finally tore his eyes away from Jack’s face and cleared his throat, stepping past the man. He couldn’t handle the silence, anymore. His heart was already pounding from the nightmare. He didn’t need Jack dissecting him with his super soldier abilities or whatever weird tech and training he’d undergone. Gabe quickly retreated into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him to block out the gaze Jack still had on him. 

With a deep breath, he splashed cold water on his face, hunched over the sink. There was a dull ache in his head and he rubbed at his temples, opening his eyes to look at his reflection. For a few moments, he thought he was back in his dream, but after pinching himself he realized he, unfortunately, was awake. 

Just as he’d appeared in his dream, his skin was pale and his eyes were bloodshot, vessels visible. Gabe frowned in horror, contemplating poking his eyes when he saw a vessel pop out of his skin by his temple. It was a dark, bloody red, and Gabe shook his head, running his hands through his curly hair. “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he hissed to himself, and he bit his lip. 

There was a soft knock on the door. “Gabe, you okay, man?” Jack asked and Gabe rolled his eyes. 

Yeah, he was totally okay. Totally not turning into a fucking zombie. “Yeah, just jacking off,” Gabe excused and Jack sighed, probably shaking his head. 

“I’m pretty sure that jacking off doesn’t sound like that,” Jack chimed in. 

“Dude, what the fuck?” Gabe replied, which earned a loud laugh echoing throughout the apartment from farmer boy. Gabe smiled softly at the sound, forgetting how fucked he was for a few moments. 

“What can I say? I’m a curious guy,” Jack chuckled and Gabe rolled his eyes, looking at himself in the mirror for a few more seconds. “But seriously, open up. I have to brush my teeth,” Jack whined and Gabe did what he asked, opening the door. Jack’s face was bright with a playful grin until he saw Gabe’s face, expression melting into one of fear. “Gabe, what the hell…” he trailed off, hand shakingly rising to touch his housemate’s face. 

Gabe felt his heart stutter, eyes wide and mouth open. “Uh...herpes?” he lamely excused and Jack narrowed his eyes, lips thinning from displeasure. He tried to chuckle and move past Jack, but the man grabbed his wrist to stop him in his tracks. Gabe flinched from the grip, and Jack let go after noticing. 

“Gabe,” Jack whispered, and said man looked to his feet in guilt, chewing on his lips. “What happened to you?” 

Gabe merely stood there for a few moments, unsure of what to say. There was little he could say, anyways. He was as in the dark as Jack was about his condition, unless Jack was in on this which would be a dick move. But then again, every move made Pagoda was a dick move. “Uh...got drunk and banged some chicks. Weird STD, right?” he joked and Jack didn’t look amused. 

“Seriously, Gabe. What happened?” Jack insisted, putting his other hand up on the doorway to block Gabe’s future escape attempts. Gabe would find the whole assertiveness hot if it weren’t for the fact he looked like he was decomposing. Looking as though he were dying didn’t really help with the mood for either side. 

Gabe rubbed at the back of his neck awkwardly. “I don’t know,” he honestly said, but he knew Jack wasn’t gonna believe that. Jack would demand for answers even if Gabe didn’t have them. Hell, he wasn’t Pagoda’s henchman like Jack was. If anyone should have answers, it should be Jack. 

“Bullshit,” Jack said, and Gabe sighed loudly, rubbing his temples. The dull pounding wasn’t leaving. In fact, it was growing, along with the ringing in his ears. He winced at the noise, trying to ignore the insistent pain. “You weren’t looking like that last night,” Jack said, and Gabe nodded, rolling his eyes. 

“Yeah, I know, okay?” he replied, patience waning. The pounding made his stomach churn, nausea joining the list of what was pestering him at the moment besides Jack. Even Gabe, who had endured plenty of pain and annoyances for the past few weeks, was beginning to be bothered by his symptoms of...decomposing? He didn’t know what to refer it as, but it wasn’t good. 

“Well then what the hell is wrong-”

“Jack,” Gabe snapped, the ringing growing louder to the point where he was wincing. Jack narrowed his eyes, a scowl on his face as he watched Gabe press hand to the side of his head and groan. “Just…” Gabe gave up on words and pushed Jack back, sliding past him and into the kitchen. 

He could feel Jack’s angry eyes on his back as he reached into the cupboard, pulling out painkillers. But he couldn’t care less if Jack was angry at him. What he cared about was the pain he was feeling and how he looked like he was fucking dying. This had to be happening due to Pagoda, and the drugs they gave him that nearly killed him. But could one dose do this? Or did they really do something more sinister to him in his time at the hospital? 

Gabe needed answers, and if he was going to get them he knew who to call. 

“The Ghostbusters,” he whispered before chuckling to himself, rubbing at his eyes. Gabe shook his head with a long sigh, swallowing the pills and quickly retreating into his room. For a few moments, he didn’t know where his clothes were as they were often on his ground before opening his closet. He tugged on some black jeans and a baseball tee, feeling accomplished with how hipster he must look. 

Gabe couldn’t help himself. He looked back into the mirror to see himself, trying to not look at his face. But it was difficult to ignore how ugly he looked, how disgusting he appeared. With a frown, he poked the veins on his face, the familiar feeling of shame heavy in his chest. With a silent curse he shook his head and pulled on a beanie, something he hadn’t done in a while. He’d do anything to hide how he looked though. 

He retrieved his cell phone from his nightstand and pulled on his sneakers, knocking on the bathroom door. “I’m leaving, Jack,” he said, and there was a quiet grunt in response. He rolled his eyes. Of course farmer boy would be mad. He always got pissy when he was worried. 

Thankfully, the streets weren’t busy at the time. The sun was barely even peaking over the horizon, quiet and lazy before the day began. Gabe watched the world around him for a few moments, appreciating the silence and dim lights. It felt as though the world was waking up around him, stretching and pulling themselves back together after falling apart. 

He wondered if he would see the world like this again, but as the ringing in his ears continued he decided he probably wouldn’t. A sigh came out his mouth as he retrieved his bike from where he’d locked it up, climbing onto it and setting off. He could ride without hands, which came useful as he called a friend. 

“Sombra, yeah, hey. I need to see you. Now.”

* * *

 

It wasn’t too busy at the skate park as people had jobs and school at the hour, but the few who showed were focused on their talent. People coming to practice at the current time were dedicated to their boards and rides, and so Gabe fit in. Sombra wouldn’t arrive at the skatepark for another thirty minutes, and so it left Gabe some time to practice and sweat off his anxiety. 

The man hadn’t had much time in the past few weeks to practice BMXing, unfortunately. He’d been distracted by work, Jack and the government trying to make him into a weapon against Terrorists. But getting onto his bike and flying through the park was like writing your name; easy, familiar and a habit. The tricks he hadn’t done for a while came back as though he were stepping into some old shoes; fitted to his skin and bones. The adrenaline came back to make his breathing stutter, his eyes crisp and sharp. He was upside down, and then back on the ground, tires skidding and a grin on his face. 

For a while, he forgot he could possibly be dying, and just rode. His handlebars felt like the only thing keeping him together; screws and metal corroded and loose. He was falling apart, he knew it. He had been for a while. But right then and there, under the sun’s soft rays and the world repeating its same steps and living the same way, he felt okay. His veins were popping, his skin was peeling, but Gabriel Reyes felt as sane as he did back when he won that championship in L.A. 

There was soft clapping from behind him, and Gabe turned to see Sombra standing there, a soft smile on her face. The smile melted away upon seeing him, however, and she looked horrified. Gabe instinctively covered his face, pulling down his beanie but she shook her head, walking towards him. “No, don’t hide it,” she whispered, peeling Gabe’s hands away. He still felt ashamed though, and she could tell. “This isn’t your fault, Gabe. God, what have they done to you?” she asked, and he shrugged. 

“Something not very good,” he offered and that smile returned, eyes crinkling and softening. Sombra was a hard woman with sharp ends and jagged lines, but upon some words and a joke that’s not funny, she softened, a weakness Gabe recognized. His dream came back upon seeing her smile, however, her dull eyes staggering. If she noticed how he stiffened, she didn’t say anything, instead turning and walking to a bench. 

Gabe followed her, kicking up his kickstand next to the bench before sitting besides her.  She was watching the other people perform their talent with melancholic eyes before reaching into her bag and pulling out a cigarette. She offered one to him and he shook his head, lighting her own poison while Gabe already had his own; his body. “I wanna tell you I know what they did to you, I really do, Gabe,” she told him and he nodded, clasping his hands in his lap. “But I don’t know what this is,” she admitted breathlessly. “They didn’t do this to me, or to Jack. They haven’t done this to anyone.”

“So I’m special,” Gabe joked and she sighed loudly, shaking her head. 

“Clearly. I mean, I’ve known you’re special to Pagoda ever since you and Jack became housemates. I knew you were valuable to them, but this...this is something else,” she told him, and she breathed out smoke. Gabe watched it disappear into the air, chewing on his lip. The ringing in his ear was coming back. 

“Lena said they wanted to see if their normal treatment worked, and Amari said they think I’m in a new program,” he told Sombra and she hummed in agreement. 

“I know. I uncovered that there was a new program, but it’s so weird,” she hissed, throwing her hands out in confusion. “You’re the only candidate. No one else. To commit so much time and resources to one potential super soldier is unheard of,” she said, and Gabe groaned, dropping his head in his hands. 

“So I’m special...great. Special means not good,” he groaned. 

“I know.”

There was silence between them, the beginning of the traffic echoing throughout the city. The sound of wheels on the ground comforted Gabe, however, and he tried to focus on that and not the nagging thought at the back of his head. Did she know of his theory? Could she confirm or deny it? 

“You have a question, Gabe. Ask it,” Sombra said, and he looked at her with wide eyes. She was watching him with a small smirk, shrugging and turning to smoke when she saw his expression. “I’m a spy. I know how people work.”

“Did they...did they put something in me? At the hospital?” he asked, and Sombra stiffened, cigarette held in hand just in front of her mouth. The ringing grew louder, the traffic annoying in the distance. Someone’s car alarm was going off, and someone kept honking. A boy kept messing up his skateboard trick, the sound of his board hitting the ground happening over and over again until- 

“Yes,” she whispered, and Gabe nodded, licking his lips as he looked to the ground. “Yes, they did.”

“Can I get it out?” he asked, and she took a long drag of her cigarette before slowly puffing the smoke out. Gabe watched it evaporate into the cloudy sky, hearing his heartbeat and his loud thoughts race. 

“No,” she said, and Gabe closed his eyes, nodding. “No, you cannot.” 

“Am I gonna die?” he whispered, and Sombra did not move. 

Gabe watched the boy pick up his skateboard and run his hands through his hair with the shake of his head. He finally put the skateboard back down, successfully doing his trick and throwing his hands up in the air. His yell of happiness echoed throughout the skatepark, his eyes bright and grin brighter. Gabe remembered when he did his first trick on his bike, which felt as though it were far too long ago. 

He was sixteen years old, he remembered. And now he was twenty one.

“Yes,” Sombra said.

An age he would be forever. 

* * *

 

Sombra revealed she had no idea what they did to him to cause his symptoms and his condition, but she understood the effects. “I read it in some papers I found,” she told him. “They said death was almost certain.” That wasn’t enough for Gabe, however. If he was going to die, he was going to know why and how. Why would they test on him if he were going to die? What was their end game? Did they want to revive him, or worse? Make him into some Frankenstein creature? 

Gabe would love to donate his body to science, but not if it made him into a fucking zombie, for Christ’s sake. 

Sombra had hugged him as she left, telling him she’d get a hold of Amari and try to help him. But the ringing was growing louder, his head pounding even when he was just sitting. He knew there was no help to receive, not when there was some implantation in him killing him. On his way home, Gabe had contemplated cutting into himself and removing it, but he would die then too, and not very nicely. 

Gabe wouldn’t lie. He contemplated suicide as the ringing grew louder, wondering how quickly he would be killed if he rode off into traffic. How many pills could he take of his sleeping medicine before he never woke up? 

But if he was going to die, he would know why. He would not lay down and drift off forever with more questions than answers. 

Jack wouldn’t be home for the rest of the day until his shift working with the government’s black sheep ended, so that gave Gabe plenty of time to hack into his laptop. He didn’t have skills in technology and code, but he knew someone who did. 

After calling Amari and demanding the number of a patient of hers, he was able to reach her. She was glad to be meeting him, but Gabe knew she would be more happy to put her technology skills to the test. “I’ve done it a lot in videogames! Can’t be harder than that,” she’d told him over the phone, and Gabe didn’t even try to argue. Kids these days…

When he opened the door to his apartment, he recognized her as the girl who had recorded Power Ranger fighting his brother. “Wait, you’re the famous Hana Song?” he asked her and she winked with a peace sign. 

“You betcha! Now, where’s your boyfriend’s laptop?” she asked, stepping past him. Gabe frowned, wondering what the hell he’d gotten himself into before telling her it was on the coffee table in the living room. Amari had told him she had Hana as a patient, but had failed to mention it was a nineteen year old. 

Shaking his head and rubbing at his temples, Gabe walked into the living room and sat next to Hana, who was evaluating the computer in deep thought. He looked at her face and then to the laptop, “So, uh, what do you do to hack into it?” he asked her, and she rubbed at her chin in thought. 

“Easy way or hard way?” she said, and he rolled his eyes. “Hard way, I could hack into the database and code my way through it or…” She grinned deviously and reached into her pocket, pulling out a flash drive and plugging it into the computer. Gabe opened his mouth, ready to protest when the screen went bright blue. 

“Oh my god, what the hell-” 

“Wait for it…” she said, raising her index finger. Gabe looked back at the computer screen to see it go to black and then to… The desktop! She giggled happily, throwing her hands up in the air. “Ha! D.va one, bad guys zero!” she cheered, and Gabe wondered for a few moments how a nineteen year old had just bypassed the Government’s security features. 

Gabe stopped questioning Hana and pulled the laptop towards him. She looked over his shoulder, eager to see what was the object of his curiosity. He clicked onto files, and only found some progress reports and so on. Nothing really fascinating. Every file looked normal, with ‘Pictures’, ‘Work’, ‘Diary’ (Which Gabe would so look at after finding what he needed), until… 

“Reaper?” Hana asked, and Gabe shook his head, clicking on it. But upon clicking it, the screen went pitch black. Hana made a noise of confusion and Gabe sat back. 

“What the hell?” he hissed, running his finger on the mousepad only to see there was no mouse. He began to type but there was no response. He looked at Hana with anger but she was watching the computer screen. 

“That’s not supposed to happen,” she said, and the screen flickered. The webcam’s light turned blue, and they were greeted with the sight of a metal room with someone tied to a chair. 

“That’s not supposed to happen either,” she muttered. 

“I really hope not,” Gabe grumbled, narrowing his eyes. The person was wearing a bloody white t-shirt, head slumped forward onto their chest. There were fresh cuts along their arms and on their body judging by the bloody tears on their shirt. “Who is that?” Gabe whispered, and there was a loud gasp from the person as they looked up. Gabe’s eyes widened, his heart damn near stopping. “Jack,” he gasped upon seeing those bright blue eyes. “Jack.”

Hana looked from Jack to Gabe with wide eyes. “Your boyfriend?” she asked, and Gabe growled. 

“He’s not my fucking boy-”

There was the sound of a door opening from the room they were watching, and a man in a black suit stepped behind the chair. Jack was watching the camera, however, showing no fear or recognition of the man. Gabe felt some pride at seeing Jack hold himself together.  _ That’s my man,  _ he told himself, chest swelling with a feeling he couldn’t understand. 

“Gabriel Reyes,” the suited man said, and Gabe’s lips thinned, hands clenching into fists. “As of right now, Pagoda has been ended, and all subjects of Pagoda shall be terminated,” the man announced, and Hana raised her hand. Gabe looked at her. 

“That’s good right? That means they’re free,” she said, and a gagged man was dragged into the room and thrown in front of Jack. 

“Casper,” Jack gasped, struggling against his restraints. “Caspar, no-”

The suited man stepped in front of Jack, pressing a gun against the back of Caspar’s head and pulling the trigger. A loud bang echoed through the room, silencing Jack’s cries and yells and making Hana cover her mouth with a squeak. Gabe shook his head, the ringing deafening. 

“That’s not good,” Hana said, and the suited man smiled at the camera. 

“You have four hours,” the man said, and Jack looked up from the ground to peer at the camera. His eyes were wide, tears streaming down his face. 

“Gabe,” Jack whispered, and Gabe dug his fingernails into the palm of his hand, ignoring the blood dripping down his skin. “I ate your yogurt,” he gasped, and the feed went black. Gabe and Hana sat there for a few moments, unsure of what to do. She was breathing heavily, while Gabe was quiet. 

“Gabriel?” she asked, pressing her hand onto his back reassuringly. He shot to his feet, scaring her as he stalked over to the kitchen, pulling open the fridge. 

“Godammit!” he yelled, slamming the fridge shut. The fridge shook as Gabe threw his beanie onto the ground with a yell, pulling some of his hair out. 

“Okay, that’s gross,” Hana commented and he shook his head, disappearing into his room. Gabe tore off his tee and shrugged on a black hoodie, pulling the hood up to cover his face. He took one last look into his mirror, eyes even more bloodshot than before and his skin an ugly grey. 

“What the fuck have you gotten yourself into, Morrison,” he hissed, swallowing back the tears that threatened to spill. “Godammit,” he sobbed, shaking his head. His chest hurt, nausea making him nearly bend over and throw up. But he swallowed down the vomit, not letting himself be weak. He had been weak for far too long, while Jack stayed strong. He had failed Jack. With a scream, he launched his fist into the mirror, breaking his reflection. “Godammit!” he screamed before pulling on some gloves. 

He wouldn’t fail Jack now. 

Gabe grabbed his backpack, shoving his Swiss Army Knife into it. He threw his mattress to the side, uncovering a pistol he hadn’t used since his younger days. With a quick check of the magazine, Gabe threw it into the backpack as well and moved back into the kitchen, pulling his backpack on. 

Hana was sitting on the couch still, watching him with wide eyes. Upon seeing him going to leave, she shot to her feet. “Where are you going?” she asked him, and Gabe turned to look at her, to look at the damn apartment one last time. 

“Jack ate my yogurt,” he hissed, and she frowned, not understanding. Gabe opened the door. “So he must die.” The door closed, leaving Hana alone in the apartment. 

She stood there in the living room for a few moments, trying to understand what the hell had just happened before she shook her head, pulling out her phone. With a few quick tapes, she raised the phone to her ear. “Lucio? Yeah, you’ll never believe what just happened.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you liked this chapter...  
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	9. Hostile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabe must find his allies before his enemies find him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, i know i said there would be one last chapter, but i changed my mind. there will be one more after this, and that's because im going on vacation for the next week and i really dont wanna worry and stress over this fic. writing 5,000+ words every day can get tiring, and i just wanna relax and have fun for the next week. i hope you guys can understand that! ive been working my ass off on this fic, and i love working on it, but i need a break.  
> so i guess this is a filler chapter, as i was planning on having one long chapter as the finale. it is very important, however, and i hope you enjoy it!!!  
> have fun, and thanks for reading!!!

Gabe had been BMXing ever since he was fifteen, which gave him six years of experience. His mother had told him how talented he was at the sport, and the kids in the neighborhood often came to watch Gabe practice in the nearby skating yard. They would cheer him on, and even came to the championship to watch him. 

He could rise up to any challenge, never backing down from a task. Sure, sometimes he messed up, but he knew better than to give up. To become a better person, he had to learn from his mistakes, and sometimes that meant pain in the form of scrapes on his skin and his mother’s well deserved anger. But Gabe would wake up the next day, and do better. 

His body was made of muscle, was made for the sport. He could twist his body and bike to the limits and still succeed, as he had learned over the years. The commentators at some competitions had agreed with him on that, saying his versatility was his strongest point in the sport. And so as Gabe threw himself onto his bike to go to La Griffe and tell Lena and McCree about the plan. 

But after that, what would he do? Wait? Gabe needed to find Jack, and in four hours or less. There were no known bases for military in Chicago, not any that were active anyway. But Pagoda was classified, and anyone could search up military bases nearby and get information. It was possible they weren’t under the military’s care in terms of their housing and facilities. They could be independent. 

Gabe sucked a deep breath, shaking his head as he sped through a busy road. Some people yelled at him, and some cars honked, but he paid no mind to them. If they knew the danger people were in, good people, they would step aside and thank him. Gabe closed his eyes with another shake of his head. He couldn’t think like that. Civilians needed to be protected from this information. Look what it had done to Gabe. 

He was dying. 

Gabe tried to ignore how as he rode to the point where his chest and legs burned his skin was flaking off, drifting off behind him. It hurt, too, but not too badly. It felt as though it were a scab being peeled, but instead it was his perfectly healthy skin. He tried to not imagine what was left under the absent skin, if it was blood or worse. Gabe tried not look at himself whenever he passed a reflective surface, not wanting to witness what he was becoming; a monster. 

Gabe couldn’t imagine what else Pagoda was turning their soldiers into, what they were turning Jack into. Was Jack on the road to becoming him, or something else? Sombra had told him he was a special case, and he was thankful for that. While he’d rather not be a monster or a test subject, he was thankful no one else was suffering his same fate. It wasn’t pleasant to see your own skin be ripped away, see your body be morphed into what the chemicals wanted you to be. 

He couldn’t let anyone else become like him. He needed to destroy Pagoda. 

_ Do you live in pain, or die in glory?  _

Gabe looked to his fingers wrapped around his bike’s handlebars, seeing the knuckles turning a dark blue. He frowned, lifting one closer to his face for a better look before the skin around his nails began to peel off. Panic shot through him like cold water, and he wrapped his hand around the handlebars and looked up, taking a deep breath. He tried to ignore the pain around his nails, chewing his lips instead but there was no hope. The pain was insistent, and soon Gabe skidded to a stop outside a Walgreens. 

He locked his bike up, and pulled up his hood, trying to hide his face. It was obvious, however, there was no way to hide his appearance. As soon as he walked in, people were staring at him and he couldn’t blame them. He looked like a zombie, like a monster. But even monsters needed pain killers. 

Gabe grabbed as many pain killers that were offered, and threw the money to the cashier, knowing it was more than was required but antsy to get out. He was running on limited time, and he swallowed two pills from each brand without water. With a quick glance to his watch, he realized it had taken ten minutes to get the pills and get out and cursed. Gabe had to be quick. The more time he spent not rescuing Jack was spent on letting Pagoda have him for whatever purpose they wanted. 

The pain around his nails lessened, but was still a dull ache in the background as Gabe pedalled quickly. He was nearing La Griffe, thank God. But he wasn’t going to let up now. Instead, Gabe began to ride faster than before, gritting his teeth at the burn in his knees, the lack of breath he had, and-

Suddenly, the weight of his bike was gone from underneath him, instead replaced by a force violently forcing his body forward. The breath, which he was already lacking, was knocked out of him as something shattered. There was a stabbing pain in his left leg, and he cried out, reaching to grab it but the force moving him abruptly stopped. Gabe felt cold cement scrape up his palms as he fell, folding in on himself. 

There was no one around at the time, unfortunately. The area around La Griffe was busy in the morning when people needed caffeine, but after noon, it was deserted. Of course, Gabe figured, he would get hit at that moment when Jack was being held hostage and people’s lives were at risk. Of course. 

What Gabe did not expect was to feel hands wrapping under his arms, pulling him up. He hissed at the pain in his left leg, breathing heavily as he tried to cope with the fact he’d just been hit. He opened his mouth to ask what happened only to realize there was blood in his mouth, figuring he bit his lip so hard it’d been split. “Ah,” he cried, throwing his head back towards whoever held him. His head hit a chest, and he opened his eyes, damn near shitting himself. 

Grabbing him was a Man in Black, face abnormally pale and eyes hidden by black glasses. Gabe looked back in front of him, seeing a black Jeep with tinted windows parked and running. Gabe wasn’t dumb, and he knew he was being abducted by Pagoda, right out front of La Griffe. 

He’d walked right into their trap. Gabe cursed at the realization, yelling as loud as he could for help. But no one was nearby, and La Griffe was still far enough for his cries for help to go unheard. Gabe was in no condition to fight; dying with a broken leg. 

As the man began to drag him towards the car, Gabe moved his eyes to the sky. He was going to fail Jack, fail everyone. So many innocent people were going to be killed just because Gabe couldn’t watch where he rode his bike. The hopelessness he felt in his chest was overwhelming, like he was drowning in the ocean with no ships nearby. 

“Jack,” he whispered, and the pain in his left leg drifted away as he closed his eyes, imaging his blue eyes. “Jack,” he said, and the pain disappeared completely. Confused, Gabe looked down to his leg to see black smoke radiating from his leg. He frowned, and moved his leg to see if hurt. It did, but in the same way his skin peeling off did. “What the fuck,” he whispered. 

“Gabe!” a familiar voice yelled, and said man looked up to see Amelie peering through a sniper scope. “Drop!” she screamed, and Gabe threw his head back into the man’s chin, falling to the ground. There was a deafening noise ringing in his ears as Gabe found himself on the ground, bent over with his hands pressed to the sides of his head. A weight fell on top of him, and Gabe looked over to see the man’s head on his shoulder, blood dripping down a hole in his forehead.

With the most unmanly squeal ever, Gabe shoved the man off of him and scrambled to his feet. He looked to Satan with wide eyes and she smirked. Of course she would be a sniper. Of course. Why was he surprised?

The sound of the Jeep’s door opening grabbed his attention, however, as the man stepped out with a gun pointed towards Amelie. Gabe’s eyes widened and she ducked back into the restaurant, a bullet shattering one of the restaurant's windows. 

“That window cost me $600!” Amelie yelled, and the man turned to look at Gabe, raising his gun. Gabe’s mouth opened as he prepared to curse, and he faintly heard Amelie yell at him to hide, but it was interrupted by another deafening ring echoing in Gabe’s ears. There was a searing burn in his stomach, and Gabe could taste gunpowder in the air as he dropped down, smacking his head on the cement. 

There was ringing in his ears, a faint scream off in the distance. Another gunshot bounced off of the walls, but Gabe paid it no mind as he winced, sitting up to remove his bloody hands. There was a hole in his sweatshirt, and Gabe took a deep breath to cope with the burning. There was the soft click of heels on the ground nearby, and he looked up to see Amelie kneeling in front of him. There was concern in her eyes as she looked from his face to his wound, eyebrows furrowing. 

“Gabriel Reyes, you’re fired,” she hissed before setting her gun to the side. He snickered. 

“I was planning on quitting anyway,” he lied, and she gave him a knowing look with a sigh. 

“No you weren’t,” she replied and he rolled his eyes. The situation turned serious again as she reached into her pocket, retrieving a walkie talkie. “Reyes down. I repeat. Reyes down,” she reported, and there was silence for a moment before a familiar voice replied. 

“Position?” It was Angela, and Gabe relaxed his head on the ground with a sigh of relief. If Angela was here, he would be okay. She wouldn’t let him die on her watch. 

“Outside the cafe,” Amelie said, and Angela replied with an ‘Understood’. Amelie pocketed the walkie talkie and turned her attention back to Gabe. “I shouldn’t move you. Let Angela get out here first. She knows how to handle this better than I,” she told Gabe. 

“Thank God. You’d probably kill me,” he joked and Amelie looked to the gun. 

“I still could if you don’t watch your mouth,” she hissed and Gabe threw his hands up in fake surrender. There was a small smirk on her face at his motion, and a second set of soft heels on the cement grabbed their attention. Angela ran forward with a gurney dragging behind her. Amelie got to her feet, wrapping her hands around Gabe’s knees. 

“What happened?” Angela asked as she reached under Gabe’s armpits. “1, 2, 3,” she said, and soon Gabe was in the air and on the gurney. He groaned at the movement jostling the bullet, and Angela whispered a quiet apology. 

“Gunshot to the stomach,” Amelie reported, and Angela sighed loudly before grabbing the gurney and hoisting it up with Satan’s help. Gabe thought how weird this was; an Angel and Satan helping him. He snorted. He really did attract weird. 

“How did you let this happen?” Angela spat, and he was surprised to hear her so angry. “His condition is already in peril. A gunshot wound will only make it worse.” Gabe had never seen Angela so angry. Her face turned red with her frown, lips thin and expression grim. She looked like a doctor. 

Amelie scowled, and her grip on the gurney changed, dropping before being pulled back up. He softly grumbled at the motion and ignored the glare Satan shot at him. “I was shot at,” Amelie hissed, and Angela looked as though she wanted to fight. But instead, she shook her head with a sigh. 

“It’s just good you two are alive,” Angela whispered, almost to herself. Gabe furrowed his eyebrows at that, wondering what the weight behind her words was. She sounded as though she were haunted by some distant ghost, fingers leaving bruises that were only noticeable once presented. 

There was the sound of a door opening, and Gabe looked over to see Lena opening it with wide eyes. “What happened?” she asked, looking to Gabe’s wound and then to Amelie. The two shared unspoken words between their eyes, and Lena looked bothered but grateful that Satan was alive. Lena closed the door behind them and then raced to let them into the backroom. 

“Close the blinds,” Amelie told her, and Lena nodded, doing just as she asked, disappearing from their point of view. 

“What’s going on?” Gabe asked, wanting a reply from either of the two women helping him. It seemed as though there was a level of preparation to the current series of events, as though they had been ready and trained for this. He supposed that as they were apart of a new group they had trained to be ready for whatever, but he needed a definite answer. Were they aware of the current situation with Pagoda? His skin chilled at the thought, remembering his purpose. “Wait, Pagoda-” he started, trying to sit up but stopping with a wince. A

They stopped moving, and there was the sound of objects hitting the floor. He looked over to see Lena pushing everything off of the metal table Angela used to prepare food, throwing a towel onto it before Gabe was set down on it. Angela laid her hand on his right shoulder with an understanding look. “We know, Gabe,” she whispered and he looked from her to Amelie, who was crossing her arms and looking behind her. 

“Well, what are we going to do?” he asked her and Angela’s lips thinned, looking to Amelie. 

“We aren’t going to do anything,” Lena chimed in, and he looked at her with a frown. She seemed content with that decision, a small smile on her face. Angela shot her a look and her expression shifted to a sheepish smile. “Oh right sorry! The first aid kit! On it,” she exclaimed before running off. 

As Lena went to retrieve the necessary materials to help tend to his wound, Amelie stopped, turning to look back at the restaurant. She grabbed her sniper from where she’d left it by the door to the cafe. “We have company,” she told Angela, and Angela gave her a nod. Amelie checked her ammunition with a soft sigh. “Why must I kill?” she asked, expecting no answer. With that, she disappeared into the cafe, Angela walking over to lock the door behind her. 

“What do you mean we’re not doing anything?” Gabe asked Angela, who pulled up a chair and sat next to him. There was a look on her face, one that Gabe didn’t like one bit. She looked sorry, as though she had accidently knocked over the vase with grandma’s ashes in it. The feeling Gabe felt at seeing her face was the same he felt when he’d lost his first tournament. He felt hopeless, like all his work and sweat had been for nothing. He felt useless, a disappointment. 

“The other members have moved in onto Pagoda’s base, evacuating all innocents,” Angela whispered, fingers tightly grabbing her pants. Gabe shook his head, not ready to understand and accept the reality of the situation. “We...we’re here to protect you,” she told him, taking hold of his hand. Her skin was warm against his, comforting like his mother’s. Yet Gabe shook it off, and she looked hurt. 

“I don’t need to be protected,” he bit out, sitting up. Angela’s eyes widened and she grabbed his shoulders, telling him to relax or else the wound would worsen. Gabe growled however, shoving her back. “I need to be in there, helping Jack,” he growled, slowly setting his feet on the ground. The pain was sparking again, blood spilling through his fingers but he didn’t care. Jack would be suffering worse. 

“Gabriel-” Angela started, hands back on him with more force. He spit on the ground and shoved her back, the blood on his hand staining her white shirt. She looked at him with a shocked expression, eyes on his face before drifting to his stomach. 

The pain began to disappear, numbness instead replacing the sensation. Gabe could stand better, posture improving as he became more sturdy on his feet. He wasn’t gritting his teeth, and he felt just as he did before the bullet had pierced his stomach. The ache in his leg began to leave, as well, and as he put more and more weight onto his body, the pain he expected to feel was surprisingly absent.

He was fine. 

Angela’s hands shakily rose to her face, stepping back until she bumped into another table. Tears were dripping down her face as she whispered to herself, shaking her head. “This...no...this can’t be,” she gasped through her sobs. Gabe frowned, not comprehending as to why she was so upset until he looked down.

Smoke was drifting off of the bullet wound, and upon pressing a hand to the wound, there was no blood. Instead, the wound had scabbed over. Denial hit Gabe first upon realizing he had just healed a fucking bullet wound. This wasn’t possible, he told him, grabbing the table he’d just gotten off of to keep himself from collapsing to the ground. Humans couldn’t heal themselves at the rate in which his body just did. But there was no denying the fact that the wound was healed, and he could do everything he could 30 minutes ago just fine. 

“Gabe,” Angela whispered, eyes red. 

He shook his head, looking at her with helpless eyes. “What am I?” he asked her, and she couldn’t answer, collapsing onto the ground. 

“You’re Pagoda’s,” she told him, and Gabe closed his eyes, trying to wake himself up. Here he was, wasting away and dying with each minute. But the moment something else threatens to kill him, his body refuses to give up, instead rebuilding itself so that it could continue to destroy its own cells. It made no sense. 

Gabe looked at Angela for a few moments before kneeling in front of her. She looked at him with wide eyes, fear and...guilt bright within the blue. “I’m dying Angela,” he told her, and she nodded. “Jack will be killed. Protecting me...it’s like trying to keep the Titanic from sinking,” he joked, and the corners of her lips twisted up for a second before returning to its previous state. “But Jack needs protecting. Help me, please...as my final wish,” he asked, and she watched him for a few moments. He could see her thoughts racing in her eyes, flickering left and right, up and down. 

Finally, she raised a hand to his cheek, pulling back on the skin peeling off. He winced, and her hand dropped at the noise. Angela shook her head, looking down. “You’re right,” she admitted before taking a deep breath. “But you’re not going alone,” she told him, getting to her feet. She knocked on the door she’d locked earlier, and unlocked it. 

Amelie popped her head in, frowning. “Status?” Angela asked her, and Amelie looked back out to the cafe before looking back.

“Been clear for the past five minutes. What’s going on?” she asked Angela, and the woman bit her lip, casting a look back to Gabe. Amelie frowned at the sight of him healthy, opening her mouth before shutting it with wide eyes. “Oh... “ She rubbed at her face, looking down. “Oh.” 

“New mission,” Angela began, and Amelie looked surprise, looking behind her once more before opening the door and entering the backroom, sniper in hand. She crossed her arms after locking the door, leaning against the wall. “Rescue Jack Morrison,” she said, and Amelie narrowed her eyes. 

“Officially?” she asked Angela, who did not reply. Amelie’s lips thinned as she cast a look to Gabe and back to Angela. With a sigh she shook her head, rubbing the back of her neck. “Fine...let’s go get lover boy,” she groaned, and Gabe smiled to her, which she ignored. 

“Amelie?” a voice asked, and they turned to see Lena in the doorway of the back entrance to the cafe. Her eyes were wide, worry painted all over her face. She shook her head, putting the first aid box on the table and stalking over to her. “You’re going?” she asked Amelie, who nodded. Lena bit her lip, words trying to come out but finding difficulty in doing so. She couldn’t seem to accept it, grabbing the woman’s hands with her own. “No, you can’t,” Lena told her, and Amelie looked away. 

Lena turned to look at Angela, only to find her gaze torn to Gabe. His skin was peeling off, drifting the ground as he stood there. Wisps of smoke were oozing off of his skin, which was pale and sickly. Her eyebrows furrowed, lisp turned into a scowl, understanding. “Don’t you dare die on me,” she told Amelie, who smiled without humor. 

“Impossible,” she replied, and Lena grabbed her face and pulled her in for a kiss. Gabe was surprised to see that someone loved Satan, but he supposed there were Satanists in the world after all. He couldn’t help but find it cute as Tracer stood on the tips of her toes to reach Amelie’s face, throwing her arms around her body and holding her tight. 

He cleared his throat after a moment, and Lena slowly parted from Amelie, who looked as happy as Satan could be. “I love you,” she told Amelie, who whispered something in French. Lena smiled and giggled, and Amelie looked to Gabe, throwing him a backpack. 

“Get ready. Armory is in that locker over there,” Amelie told him, and Gabe caught the backpack in his hands. He frowned, not believing for a second that she was serious. But upon opening the locker with a secret passcode, 6969 Lena told him with a smirk, he found an array of weapons. There was nothing too special besides a shiny pair of shotguns, which Gabe picked up fondly. 

Lena peeked over her shoulder, humming in thought. “Shotguns? Didn’t take you for a close quarter guy,” she thought, and he loaded some shells in the weapon. 

Gabe smirked as he pocketed the shotguns and some shells into the backpack, looking to Lena with pleased eyes. “With these guys, I am,” he admitted and there was an understanding smirk on her face. 

“Give em hell,” she whispered, and Gabe grinned. 

Amelie was buttoning up a jacket when he walked over to her, prepared to leave. Lena buttoned the last button on the garment, however, pressing one last kiss to her nose. “To life,” she said, pulling out her left hand to slip a ring on. 

Amelie looked from the ring to Lena, pressing a hand to the side of her face. “To death,” she replied, and Gabe felt sick at how cute they were. He never took Amelie as a romantic, but he also didn’t think his body would heal itself from a gunshot. 

“I hate to interrupt, but we have three hours before Jack is killed...or worse,” he sighed, and Amelie looked to him with understanding eyes. She looked as though she were ready for war, which Gabe figured they were going into. The woman nodded before rubbing Lena’s cheek. 

“Farewell,” she said, and Lena shook her head. 

“Don’t say goodbye. We’ll see each other again,” she giggled, and Amelie nodded, opening up the door and stepping out. 

Gabe followed Amelie, but was stopped by Lena grabbing him. He looked to her in surprise, only to see fear in the girl’s eyes. “Please,” she whispered. “Bring her back alive,” she begged, and Gabe nodded. 

“I will… I promise,” he replied and she smiled, patting his shoulder. 

Gabe cast one look back to Angela, who waved. They exchanged no words, however, as Gabe could find none for herr. There was a strange feeling in his chest, however, that they would see each other again. He found hope in the feeling, figuring he would be alive to laugh at death’s face with her. 

Amelie was waiting for him, and the two of them rushed into the street. “It’s clear, don’t worry,” she told him, and he nodded. The two rushed over to the Jeep they’d had their altercation with, and Amelie hopped into the driver’s seat. Gabe quickly sat in the passenger’s seat, seeing Amelie laugh and twist the key in the ignition. 

“Idiots,” she whispered. “Who leaves their key in the car?” 

“Amelie, they were planning on kidnapping me,” Gabe reminded her, and she shrugged, rolling her eyes as the car turned on. 

“Whatever. Idiots,” she sighed, pressing onto the gas pedal. “Now, listen. This is a serious mission, not making foam leaves,” she reminded him, and Gabe groaned at the memory. There was an evil smile on her face at his response to her comment, and Gabe was still convinced she was Satan, even after seeing her being emotionally invested in Lena. “I know where the base is, and we will be taking a side entrance. There will be security, but I’m sure it will be sparse as the other operants invade. I will take care of them, and you will remain in here,” she told Gabe, who nodded. 

“Do you have a map?” Gabe asked her, and she nodded, reaching into her back pocket and pulling out a piece of paper. Gabe took it from her hand, looking over the map with interest. The base wasn’t far at all, and was in the outskirts of Chicago. Perfect placement for the program, as they had land to work with and less people to question. 

“Are you ready?” Amelie asked him, and Gabe nodded, before punching her. Amelie’s head hit the window, the car swerved to the side. He quickly grabbed the steering wheel and stopped the car. Guilt was hot and heavy in his chest as he looked over Amelie. 

“Yeah,” he sighed before getting out, moving her body to the back. “I am,” he said,. “But you aren’t. I made a promise,” he told Amelie’s unconscious body. “And I’m not one to break promises.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well i hope you enjoyed this chapter!!!  
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> <3 <3 <3


	10. Smoke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow...okay...so this is the end...  
> so sorry it took me so long to post this chapter, to finish this story. life got crazy, as it usually does. and i even lost interest in overwatch for a while before regaining my love for the series, and Gabe and Jack.  
> i hope you enjoy this finale.  
> and thank you so much for sticking with this story, for leaving so many kudos and comments.  
> ive enjoyed reading all your comments, and i hope that this story lived up to your expectations.  
> to all those who started from chapter one and waited until now, thank you so much for sticking to this story. it means so much to me, and this story could not gotten this popular without you. so thank you for making this one of my best stories i've written. and i hope you're happy with it and where it led.  
> so...  
> ENJOY~!

Amelie was right about the security, and as Gabe pulled up to the base he only saw one man in a booth which would allow him access. He narrowed his eyes, however, at the sight, not taking everything at face value. There could be snipers, people watching from a distance. If Pagoda was smart, they would have people watching. 

As Gabe pulled up to the toll booth in which the man sat at, he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. His heart was hammering in his chest, and he cracked his neck to calm himself down. Obviously, nothing he did helped him calm down, especially considering that he was about to go face death face to face. 

It was rather obvious that he was terrified. He’d told himself when he was riding his bike that he would rather die saving lives than sitting down and letting Amari and Angela pour over his wounds in an effort to try and save his life. If anyone could figure out how to stop this...reaction, it would be those two. But even so, he wouldn’t let these innocent soldiers be killed, and he wouldn’t let Jack be abducted or killed off as well. 

He’d told himself he could get there, and save Jack. Hell, maybe he could save some of the innocent soldiers as well. The confidence he felt for the new rebel group overthrowing Pagoda wasn’t high, as he’d only seen a few people apart of it just the night before. Gabe was sure they would miss people, but he sure he could find them if he had enough time and energy to do so.

Even just sitting and driving was making his chest tighter with each passing minute, and his breathing was labored. Gabe passed it off on the pure fear he felt going into this, and on the fact that he was dying. He didn’t like admitting he was scared, and he tried to keep that fact to himself. But walking into a place knowing very well you will die and just telling yourself that you’d die is one thing, while actually getting to the building you’re going to die in is something entirely different.

It was suicide.

And seeing the cursed building made black spots flicker in his eyes. He could practically feel his blood pressure rise just looking at the place, and closed his eyes for a few moments, trying to stay calm.

“Gabe, get your shit together,” he hissed to himself, opening his eyes again. He tried to ignore how he was getting closer to the man who would let him pass or put a bullet in his head. “Commander Shepherd’s done this shit like...3 times? Be Shepherd,” he told himself. “Who the hell doesn’t want to be Shepherd?” he asked the air, and he laughed to himself before sighing. He rubbed at his eyes, shaking his head. 

_ Shepherd dies in the end,  _ his brain reminded him and his grip on the steering wheel tightened. 

“Thanks,” he replied. As though he needed another reminder that he was going to die. 

As Gabe pulled up to the booth, he looked to his side into the little glove compartment, opening it quickly to make sure what he would needed was there. A small pistol was tucked into the space, and he bit his lip, not enjoying the fact he’d been killing a man today. 

Or that he would be killing plenty of men today, on top of himself. 

Gabe shook his head to try and clear those thoughts, assuring himself that he was doing the right thing, that he was saving a life worth all of those he would be killing. But it was easier to tell himself something instead of believing it. 

Gabe pulled up to the toll booth, gently pressing his brakes to slow to a stop. There was a man already waiting for him, eyes narrow and a fake smile on his face. “How can I help you today, sir?” he asked Gabe, and Gabe cleared his throat uncomfortably. 

“I’m here to see someone,” he lamely told the man, and the guard hummed, clearly not believing him. 

“And who might that someone be?” the guard asked, and Gabe looked to the steering wheel, swallowing harshly. He was totally fucking this up. At this rate, he was going to get a bullet in his head before putting one in anyone else’s. 

In his peripheral view, he saw the man reached for his phone and his head jerked to the side to look at the guard. “I’m Gabriel Reyes,” he quickly hissed, and the guard stopped, looking at him with narrowed eyes. Gabe’s heart was pounding in his ears, and his chest hurt from how quickly and harshly he was breathing. 

“Proof?” the guard asked him, a smirk on his face. He was enjoying this, and Gabe hated it. Was being an asshole a requirement to work with Pagoda? He suspected it msut be, along with being a psychopath or a sociopath. 

“You want, what, an I.D?” Gabe asked him, and the guard shook his head, leaning forward. 

“If you’re Gabriel Reyes, there’s one thing you can do that no one else can,” the guard whispered, and Gabe frowned, a cold tremor wracking his body. Gabe could do plenty of special things, like cool tricks on his bike and make foam leaves in coffee. But other people could do what he could, except…

Gabe shifted in his seat, uncomfortable. The guard picked up on it, an ugly grin stretching his features. “Like?” Gabe asked him, and the guard chuckled darkly. Gabe bit his lip and looked back at the man, only to feel a gun press against his forehead. If he’d been scared before, he was shitting himself now. The cold metal of the barrel jarred him back to his senses, a prickling sensation itching across his skin. 

“This,” the guard whispered, before the gun dropped to his chest. A piercing pain shot through his chest, and Gabe couldn’t breathe. He wasn’t sure if the he heard himself scream, as the ringing in his ears was annoyingly loud. But based on the taste of blood in his mouth, he was certain he was screaming, hand grabbing where the injury was made.

The world was a blinding white light as he screamed, consisting of bright blue eyes and a cocky smile. Gabe was dying, he was sure of it. He had been for the past day or two, fate written into the dirt of Earth with no possible way of escaping it. But Jack...Jack could live. He would live, even if it took this pain he was experiencing to ensure it. 

Gabe opened his eyes, hissing from the bullet in his chest and looking down to his hand. Blood was dripping through his fingers and onto his pants, and he growled, looking back up to the security guard who looked both pleased and surprised. “Well, that proves it,” he said, and Gabe narrowed his eyes. 

“Yeah?” he asked, before leaning out of the window and grabbing the guard’s collar, dragging him closer. “So does this,” he hissed, before his fist connected with the man’s jaw. The man cried out before dropping to the ground, and Gabe took a moment to look at his wound. The sharp pain he’d felt was dimming to an ache, and he pressed his hand against it to see if it was bleeding. No blood caked his skin once he pulled back, and he felt both pleased that he was fine to continue, but disgusted with what he’d been made into. 

He was a demon wearing a human’s skin, an experiment. He was dying, yet he could not die. 

He snickered. How ironic. 

With a sigh, Gabe stepped out of the car and jumped through the window, landing on the man, who cried out. Looking down, the security guard was pathetic, rubbing at his jaw while whimpering. Yet Gabe felt no pity. These were the people who did this to him, to Jack. They deserved this, and far worse. 

Gabe crouched down next to the man, taking a large set of keys off of his belt loop. “So, mind telling me where they’re keeping Jack?” he asked the man, and he saw the guard’s eyes flicker up to him in fear, his whimpers stopping. Gabe grinned a nasty grin, one he would be disgusted with under any other circumstances. 

“I don’t-” 

Gabe sighed loudly. “I didn’t wanna do this,” he told the man, shaking his head before stomping his feet on the man’s fingers. There were a few sickening cracks mixed in with the security guard’s screams. “Tell me,” Gabe hissed. 

“Basement, room 207,” the guard sobbed, pulling his affected hand to his chest with a few whimpers. Gabe smiled before patting the man on his head. 

“Thank you,” he said before taking the gun from the man’s holster and hitting the button that would let his car go by. Gabe jumped out of the window again and entered his vehicle, driving towards the building. He knew that the countless cameras Pagoda certainly had were reporting him approaching after breaking the security guard’s fingers, but he didn’t care. 

Gabe had access, and if there was already an attack being launched, he probably wasn’t the biggest of their concerns. Or maybe he was, considering the fact that they’d been following him for weeks and made him into a dying but somehow immortal being. Maybe this is what Pagoda wanted; to lure Gabe into their trap so they could watch him die and write down science stuff. If so, he wouldn’t let them watch him die, as they’d be long dead by the last moments he spent breathing. 

Shaking his head, Gabe pulled up to the building, stopping at a large, silver hanger that was closed shut. He squinted, trying to look for any possible entry ways before seeing a door to the side. Grabbing his weapons and jingling the stolen keys he’d received, he opened the car door and hopped out, staying low in case of a sniper. But alas, no red dots appeared on his abdomen, and he was jamming key after key into the door’s handle. After a few moments of cursing and sighing, the door finally opened and Gabe stepped inside only to see total chaos. 

The first thing he experienced smoke; thick and heavy in the air as it burned at Gabe’s throat and made his eyes water. He coughed, bitterly thinking about how he couldn’t handle the smoke when he gave it off himself to heal. The world was ironic, he noted as he pulled his sweatshirt up over his mouth and nose. The world was cruel, he decided. 

Looking around, he saw fire. The skeletons of cars were enveloped by flames, some bodies on the ground burnt to a fine, crisp charcoal. The smell of meat rotted in the air with the smoke, and Gabe swallowed vomit before closing the door behind him, pocketing his keys. He needed to find Jack, but with the current condition of the HQ, it seemed more difficult than not. How had the guard outside not been aware of what was happening inside? 

The realization that Pagoda was expecting him, letting their own operation die in hopes of getting Gabe in their grasp made him stop for a few moments. Was he so precious that they would give up everything they had worked for, everyone they had worked with? He shook his head, thinking of Jack tied up around the chair he’d seen in the video call from just an hour or two ago. Would they be willing to give him up too? 

Gabe cursed, running down the stairs and to the left of the hanger. According to the map, the elevator down to the basement should be where he was heading to. But there was one flaw in Gabe’s plan, and that was the annoying fire safety protocols when it came to elevators. The damn machine was closed off, a loud sign proclaiming that getting to an emergency exit or using the stairs was the only options now. Gabe cursed, fishing the map back out of his pocket. 

Stairs were back towards where he had entered, but upon turning to run back, he found himself face to face with a pistol. The cold metal pressed against his forehead, the harsh memory of what a bullet felt in his body making goosebumps prick his skin. 

It was the girl from the hospital, the one who warned him about Pagoda. Her impressive frame was illuminated by the burning corpse of her own nightmare, the fire playing brilliantly with her haunted features. Gabe raised his hands to surrender, but she shook her head. “Please, don’t make this more difficult,” she begged, voice cracking at the end of her sentence. Gabe didn’t understand what she meant as tears streamed down her face. “I have to do this,” she whispered. 

“No, no you don’t. Don’t let them control you...you’re free now,” Gabe murmured, taking a step back hesitantly. The girl shook her head, swallowing so hard that he could see her throat move. 

“I know...but you won’t be,” she told him, sounding so desperate that if Gabe’s life wasn’t being threatened he would have felt immense guilt and pity. But as she yanked her arm back to hit him across the temple, he couldn’t feel anything other than hot, white fear. 

But before she could strike him, a hand wrapped around her wrist, stopping her. Gabe gasped as he scrambled backwards, trying to distance himself from this fight. The woman cried out, pulling the owner of the hand over her body only to smack them against the ground. There was a familiar cry, and Gabe found himself looking at Sombra, who gazed at him with reassuring eyes. 

“Go,” she said, and Gabe couldn’t argue. He ran past the woman, who seemed busy with his friend. He had so many things to say to Sombra, ranging from “Thank you” to “Are you crazy?!”, but as the fires grew, he only could find silence in his mouth aside the smoke. 

The stairs were silent, a reality that shocked Gabe as he could only hear the patter of his feet and his labored breaths. He’d expected resistance from Pagoda only to find none other than a traumatized soldier with a cause that followed Gabe with all his other demons nipping at his feet. 

The basement seemed empty, no fires in sight. In fact, it was silent besides the fire alarm that blared loudly, bouncing off of the walls. Gabe pulled the map from his pocket back out, looking for wherever room 207 was. He found it in the back corner, a secluded area that was surely untouched by the assault on the bae. 

Without any hesitation, he took off running, the cement hard against his feet as his weapons weighed heavily on both his mind and his body. Would he kill to save Jack? Would he leave this world a murderer in self defense, or out of hatred for what they had done to him, to his roommate and countless others? Would it be justified, or would God cast him from whatever Afterlife he found himself presented with? 

Was there an Afterlife for Gabe, or was this it? 

It was strange to be confronted with death with one last mission that entailed much more than dying of old age. It haunted Gabe as he ran towards his dealbreaker when it came to death, and what it meant. Gabe’s BMX championships didn’t matter now, as they once had. What mattered was the blood on his hands, have it be his or the monsters behind this project. 

The monsters who hurt Jack. 

The thought made his stomach churn, as he raced through the basement, trying to ignore the cells he ran past. Many were open, but their marks remained. It reeked of human feces, and of urine. But it also smelled of blood, a copper scent that burned his nostrils as he breathed, putting his athleticism to use. He hadn’t been a track star, but BMXing required plenty of body effort, plenty of skill. 

He used what he had learned, but nothing could prepare him for coming face to face with room 207. It was the last room at the end of the hallway, bearing a metal door and white walls flushed with traces of blood. Gabe felt his heart pounding, lungs burning from the lack of air. 

This was it. 

Jack was beyond this door, but what else was? 

This was surely a trap, and Gabe pulled out Amelie’s weapon he had stolen from her. There was a small button on the side, and upon pressing it, he could feel it change form. It became not a sniper, but what he assumed was an assault rifle. Swallowing back his fear, Gabe opened the door. 

A searing pain ripped itself through his calf, a loud yell being ripped from his throat so monumental that he tasted blood. Another pain broke through his left shoulder, another yell from his throat. And finally, cold metal pressed up against his throat, deadly sharp and held with such confidence Gabe couldn’t help but open his eyes. 

There stood a woman in front of him, grey eyes so narrow he could barely distinguish the color. She crouched in front of him with such pride that the fear he had felt over his death was dispensed, replaced by such an anger he felt as though he really were a monster. Gabe bared his teeth at her as though he were a wild animal, grabbing her hair and pulling it as hard as he could. 

It was a cheap move, but it worked. She cried out, dropping to the ground. Gabe spat on her body before looking up to see two Men in Black pointing their weapons at him. But that didn’t matter… What mattered was what was between them in a chair, bound by leather restraints. Those bright blue eyes stared at him helplessly, tired with the fight of surviving, of being nothing more than an experiment, nothing more than a soldier. 

“Jack,” Gabe breathlessly whispered, and Jack began to move, fighting against his restraints. But he did not look as though he were escaping, but instead as though he were trying to warn him. Gabe frowned before remembering the woman, but it was too late. 

Something smacked against the side of his face, right against his temple. The world turned black, and Gabe had the stupid fear he had gone blind before the world flickered back, only this time it was all sideways. He groaned, trying to get back up before a kick landed itself on his back, effectively rendering him useless on the ground. 

So this was how he spent his last hours; watching the world around him burn as he failed the only person that mattered anymore. The hopelessness he felt in his chest was cold, putting out whatever fire remained in his dying body. Gabe closed his eyes, praying to whatever God was listening, would beckon the call of a sinner staring the Devil right back in Its damned eyes. 

But God wasn’t listening, and the Devil seemed much more relevant in the world nowadays. This was evident as hands wrapped around the collar of his sweatshirt, pulling him up. He opened his eyes to look back at the woman who was pleased with the pain she saw, that she reaped. 

“Gabriel Reyes… Oh how I’ve longed to have you in my hands,” she whispered, voice beautiful besides the obvious situation he was in. There was the muffled cries of Jack behind her, and she snapped her fingers. The Men in Black abruptly moved, one pulling out a knife that was placed upon Jack’s jugular and another grabbed his head, holding it with steady hands. 

But Jack… Jack didn’t look scared. He watched with fiery eyes, devoted to fighting until blood seeped from his throat, his fingers twitching from the dance of death. 

“And I must say,” the woman murmured, breath hot on his face. The searing pain of the bullets in his body began to numb, soaking away into the constant ache of dying. The smoke billowed around his wounds, but the woman was too caught up her monologue so that she didn’t notice. 

Gabe could feel the anger returning, replacing the hopelessness he had been weighed down by. He could feel his body being set aflame, dying just like the corpses upstairs. 

“I cannot wait to break you,” the woman said,  and Gabe smiled. 

“Likewise,” he replied, and she frowned before Gabe grabbed each side of her face, not thinking twice. 

Gabe had never killed a man before. Sure, he had fought and hurt others. When he grew up, fights broke out more often than they didn’t. He had learned to fend for himself, learning from the street and never professionally. 

But as he heard the snap from the woman’s neck, he couldn’t find it in himself to feel bad. When he had seen the bruises and scrapes on his opponents bodies, he had felt guilt in his chest, traveling with each step he took and lacing itself in the laces of his shoes. 

Yet when those eyes went blank, he felt glory electrifying his senses. He dropped her body on the ground, looking to the men who held Jack. Jack’s eyes were wide, mouth ajar with words he could not hear as the gag silenced his great mind, his bright thoughts. 

It didn’t take words to anticipate the men’s next actions, as they looked to each other and nodded. A growl ripped itself from Gabe’s throat as he pushed himself to his feet, tackling the man who had the knife. His body broke the fall on the cement as Gabe hit him with all his might, breaking the glasses that hid his eyes. The glass dug into his knuckles, but the pain was gone in the heat of the moment. 

There was the scuff of feet behind him, and Gabe turned to look at the other man, who was pulling something out of his belt. It didn’t take a genius to understand what he was taking out, and Gabe left the other man behind, charging at the other. 

The smack of the other man’s head against the wall satisfied the bloodlust Gabe felt, the glasses dropping to the ground by his feet. Brown eyes stared back him, but there were no emotions, only robotic calculations in a system designed to follow orders. Killing cyborgs made Gabe feel a little bit better, and Gabe pulled the gun out of the cyborg’s hands, hitting him across the face so hard circuits and wires broke through his fake skin. It sparked, eyes fading as whatever power had fueled him was turned off. 

Gabe spit on him, only to hear Jack’s loud, muffled cries instead of comfortable silence. He spun around only to see the other cyborg running at him, knife prepared to greet and dismiss his heart. There was nothing Gabe could do as he watched the knife get closer besides pray to God, beg for a nice life for his mother and Jack, and wonder if he turned off the oven at home and-

“Gabriel!” a familiar voice cried out, and a familiar body blocked his view of the knife. Gabe’s eyes widened as he saw a familiar uniform on a short body in front of him go stiff, a soft “oh” being murmured. 

No...that’s not right. Why would they be here? They were getting soldiers out, unaware of Gabe’s own personal mission. Unless Amelie woke up and- 

Their hand abruptly reached up, gripping a dart of some kind before bringing it down on the cyborg in front of them.  There was a soft thump from the robot as it dropped to the ground, and the body turned to look at Gabe with tired eyes and a bloody torso. 

“Amari,” he gapsed, hating that proud and sad smile on her face. 

“You’re okay,” she murmured before dropping to the ground. Gabe followed her movements, quickly grabbing her so she wouldn’t hit her head on the ground. She felt surprisingly light in his arms, looking as though she were falling asleep. But he knew it wasn’t sleep that was pulling her away, but something far more sinister. 

“You shouldn’t have done that,” Gabe told her, and she looked at him with wide eyes, shaking her head. Her gloved hand reached to cup the side of her face, a proud smile on her face. There was a light in her eyes, an understanding of what was happening. She accepted it, her fate that is. “I’m going to die anyways,” he whispered, and she nodded, sighing. 

“We all will in the end...but this isn’t your end, Gabe. Your end is in your bed, surrounded by people you love,” she told him, voice soft and quiet. 

Something wet dripped down his face, and she wiped it away with the thumb of her hand, rubbing at the corners of his wet eyes. “Don’t you?” he asked her, and she looked down before looking back up.  But now...her eyes seemed far away, as though she were watching something come closer. 

She sank back into his arms, and Gabe held her closer, taking the hand that had been holding his face into his own grasp. Her free hand reached into her pocket, taking a harsh hold of whatever object it had held. Tears dripped down his face, but she looked at peace, gripping her free hand to her chest. 

“ تحقيق العدالة، فريحة,” she whispered, and her hand fell to her side, eyes blank with death. Gabe let out a sob he didn’t know he was holding, shaking her body. 

“No,” he sobbed, shaking her harder. But she didn’t respond, eyes still trained on the same spot as before. “Wake up,” he begged, shaking her. 

But she merely laid there, dead. 

He swallowed back his sobs, dropping his head on her chest. Gabe took her hand into his, feeling whatever she held in her final moments. He knew he was running on limited time, but as his tears wet her clothing, and her still warm hand was in his, he did not care.

Not until there was a noise from Jack, making Gabe pull back from her body. He pulled out what was in her hand, looking at it with as much will as he could muster. It was a picture in black and white, yet he could see the face of a smiling young girl, looking startlingly like Amari.

Gabe looked to said woman before placing the picture back into her hands, wrapping her fingers around it before he closed her eyes. “Go in peace,” he said before getting to his feet. Jack was watching him with red eyes, and as Gabe grew closer, he could see tears on his face. 

Gabe undid his restraints, pulling off the gag in his mouth. But even with his newfound freedom, Jack said nothing. The two only stared at each other until Jack shook his head, pulling Gabe to him with a crushing hug. Sobs wracked the other man’s body, and he wondered if it was from the trauma, or from a friend’s death. He decided it was both, and wrapped his arms around Jack, merely holding him with as much time as he could spare. 

And so they sat there room 207, holding one another as they broke apart into pieces only repairable by time. Jack...Jack had enough time to glue it back together. But Gabe’s pieces would remain forever broken, left among two corpses he had been responsible for.

“We have to go,” Gabe finally whispered, and Jack nodded, pulling away from the man. Gabe stood up, stepping back as Jack got out of the chair, only stopping to look at the Latino with wide, horrified eyes. He abruptly remembered how he must have looked; skin falling off of his skin only to leave either bloody or scabbed over parts of his body. His eyes were bloodshot, hair missing large chunks. 

He was dying, it was obvious. He had come to terms with it, but Jack had not, and it was evident as he tentatively reached for his face, careful with his touches. Gabe looked away in shame, trying to ignore the scared expression of his roommate’s face, but Jack pulled his face back to look at him with an angry look. “Don’t you dare feel ashamed,” he hissed. “They did this to you...I did this to you...I’m so-”

There was a loud explosion from outside the room, and Gabe looked back, remembering that the damn place was on fire. He could feel his stomach knot itself as he looked back at Jack with wide eyes, understanding that this was where it stopped, this was where it ended. 

The ache was growing stronger, and keeping his eyes open was beginning to become difficult. He could feel his fingers grow colder as his body rushed its blood to keep organs pumping, keep his vital parts alive. 

Amari died for nothing; he would never get out of here. 

The realization made Gabe grab Jack’s hand, turning and running out of the room. He could feel Jack struggle to keep up, surely weighed down by his wounds and exhaustion of being held hostage. And Gabe related, unable to breathe quick enough for his motions. The world was growing hazy around the edges, blackness seeping into his vision. 

Running was growing harder, and he began to trip over his own feet. His hands were sweaty, and finally, his grip on Jack failed as he rushed up the stairs, dropping. 

He couldn’t breathe, his lungs burning as the pain grew intense in his chest. Gabe was so cold, shivering as he looked at his world burn, on fire. Sparks flew around Jack’s face as he kneeled in front of Gabe with wide, alarmed eyes. He could faintly feel hands on his shoulders, shaking him. 

“Gabe! Come on!” Jack yelled, damn near begging him to get up. But Gabe knew as the cold metal pressed against his back that he wasn’t getting up. Smoke was slowly oozing off of him, joining the carcass of Pagoda. Tears played with those brilliant blue eyes, and despite the blood and cuts on Jack’s face, he was beautiful. 

“Jack,” he bit out, and said man shook his head, collapsing onto Gabe’s failing body. He could feel the tears soaking his neck, dampening his sweatshirt. The heat from Jack’s body made him stop shivering, closing his eyes to enjoy the warmth, enjoy the pain slowly fade. 

Something was pressing against his lips, and Gabe opened his eyes to Jack’s eyelashes fluttering against his skin as he kissed him. A small smile broke the kiss on Gabe’s face, his fingers rising just high enough to playing with the farmer’s gold locks. 

“Jeez Morrison...that’s a little gay, don’t ya think?” he whispered, and Jack laughed, or sobbed. It was both, a sound that made Gabe want to get on his feet and crawl out of her. But he coudn’t, even as he tried to push himself off of the wall and onto his feet.

This was it; watching the world burn and fall apart around him, Jack closely following. 

Would Jack burn down here with him? Would Gabe be dead by the time the flames licked his skin, or would he go out in a brilliant display of heat and light? 

Jack was abruptly pulled off of him, the shift of weight making Gabe open his heavy eyes to see Sombra holding the man back. She looked at him with pained eyes, tears illuminated by the world dying around him. 

“Jack,” Gabe whispered as the man was pulled away, yells and cries echoing in his ears. “Jack…”

“Dammit, Gabe! Get up!” Jack screamed, and Gabe smiled, shaking his head. 

“You can eat my yogurt.”

Jack screamed one last time, and Gabe closed his eyes, drifting into peaceful sleep that beckoned and called for him with wide, open arms and smelled of his mother’s cooking.

The last thing he heard was a broken, “I love you”.

He opened his mouth, but the words died in his throat, his body closely following. 

_That's so gay..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you enjoyed this,  
> LEAVE A COMMENT!  
> tell me your thoughts on this chapter!  
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> 
> TRANSLATION:  
> تحقيق العدالة، فريحة = Find justice, Pharah


	11. End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay this is legit the end... i hope i fooled some of ya :P  
> i hope you enjoyed this story as much as i enjoyed writing it and finding new ways to surprise you readers..  
> the ending was the most difficult part for me as i needed to piece everything together, but i always knew it would end like this. there was no happy ending for jack and gabe even if they loved each other as much as they did.  
> so with that said, enjoy the final words of this story.  
> :)

The first thing Gabe felt was the cold freezing over his body, making him shiver and shake uncontrollably. It wasn’t a harsh chill, but more of a constant breeze provided by a fan with a soft whirr reverberating in his ears. 

The second thing he noticed was a soft, repetitive beep. It was next to him, wherever he was. It reminded him of a heart monitor, bringing forth a rush of memories from the hospital. Sombra’s smile, Jack’s frustration, Pagoda’s implantation of a device-

And then he woke up all at once, sitting upright with such a loud gasp one would concur he had not been breathing at all. There was no slow adaptation to his surroundings now with his eyes open, and he found himself overwhelmed with his reality. 

He was a in a room decorated with grey tiles on the walls and white tiles on the floor, looking as though he were in some science lab. His hypothesis was proven right as he looked around, seeing x-rays and blueprints hung up on the walls around him, illuminated by the harsh lights from above. 

Gabe squinted, pushing himself to his feet. But the moment he touched the ground, he collapsed onto the ground with a cry. The tile was cold against his bare, flushed skin, and it mocked him as he tried to push himself up only to fail.

What was wrong with him? Why could he not stand, or hold himself up altogether? He hissed as he grabbed the metal table he had been laid upon, pulling himself up with as much strength as he could muster. His muscles stretched and burned at his motions, begging for him to release and relax. But Gabe ignored them, planting his feet on the ground and standing up tall.

What he saw made him wish he wasn’t.

On another metal table across from his was a blue woman with long, black hair, eyes shut in blissful sleep Gabe was jealous of. His eyes widened, body chilling over more than it had been before. The soft beep of the heart monitor was the only thing grounding him to where he was, wherever that was. 

“Amelie?” he whispered, reaching for her. 

“No, not anymore,” a voice said behind him, and Gabe spun around, damn near collapsing from his speed and sudden change in balance. There was a woman with her back to him, hair pinned up high as she appeared to be writing on a clipboard. He assumed she was a scientist based on his observations, and the lab coat supported his theory.

Gabe furrowed his eyebrows, not understanding the meaning behind her words. “What do you mean?” he asked, and she sighed, pulling down a piece of paper from the wall to look it over. After a moment, she threw the paper back at Gabe, who caught it.

It was a written log, detailing experiments and tests over the past…

Years?

“What?” he gasped, almost to himself. He looked at the most recent entry, seeing it dated as 2024. The goosebumps on his skin only grew, his fingers losing all ability to grasp anything. He vaguely felt himself collapse to the floor, body hitting the cold tile. But it didn’t matter, nothing did…

The tests they were doing on Amelie...didn’t make sense. 

The time he was asleep...didn’t make sense.

And the woman…

He only heard the click of her heels as she approached him, not bothering to look up at her face. But he didn’t need to, not when she kneeled down in front of him, putting her hand on his shoulder.

She smiled at him, a smile he had seen too many times in La Griffe and-

“Welcome to Talon, Reaper,” Angela said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU FOR READING!!!  
> if you're interested, check out some of my other fics!!!  
> THANK YOU FOR COMMENTING!  
> everyone who commented will forever live in my inbox as i never delete messages, and i always read them and mull over them in the future and present.  
> COMMENT NOW!  
> tell me your thoughts, what youd like to see in the future and your favorite part from this story! feedback is always welcome!  
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> AND MOST IMPORTANTLY,  
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> <3 <3 <  
> Edit 11/15/116 - changed final sentence to "Welcome to Talon" to clarify Angela's intentions and alliance  
> 


End file.
